Memories of Shadow and Light
by Le-chan1
Summary: When Yoshimori uncovers the resting place of the "Pharaoh of Nameless Shadows," it seems that Yami finally has solid proof of his existance. It seems to be a gift from the gods, but if it was a gift why is Yugi 3,000 years in the past? AtemxYugixYami YAOI
1. Prologue

**A.N. This was my first Yugioh Fic ever. I started out editing this fic for a repost but sadly I don't have time to edit now, so instead of making you all wait any longer, I am posting the old chapters here and I will replaced each chapter as I finish editing them.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh nor the characters in the show.**

**WARNING: This story will contain YAOI, and later hard core 'M' Rated scenes. If you do not like this or are not old enough to read them, get out of the M section!**

Memories of Shadow and Light

_**Prologue**_

Dust filtered down from the darkness as old stone-work was pried open after years of decay and holy rest; of its secret's preservation. Golden heat from the desert sands poured into the shadowed tomb falling across a sarcophagus, covered in a thin veil of dust. The golden seal and detailed mask were dulled by the grey film, its luster no longer visible from years of neglect and erosion.

The mask depicted strict lines and harsh surety, proving the encrypted Pharaoh to have been proud and strong, holding the heavy burden of his nation for as long as he could, and yet, his name was chipped away, signifying that he was condemned in his next life, his name erased from history, never to be spoken of again.

Professor Yoshimori stepped through the thresh hold and into the ancient resting place of the Pharaoh of nameless shadows, his heart thundering loudly inside of his chest, palms sweaty with his excitement. To find such an extraordinary piece of history, it was simply indescribable.

The tomb held hieroglyphs like any other catacomb in the pyramid, but these surrounded the upper walls in painted gold, as clear as the day they had been written. As if the day the Pharaoh of nameless shadows was laid to rest, the writings where made, and the tomb sealed, preserving the words for eternity.

At a glance, in the flickering firelight of his torch, Yoshimori could decipher very little, except that the words were written perfectly as though the writer had spent most of his life under tutelage, his wording surprisingly refined.

"… for my light who left to soon, the golden hands of Ra taking back what once was given to a god… darkness swells and inside it shall quell, the end of all falls upon light's future… Shadow Games of night, chains of binding light?" Yoshimori blinked, confused. His eyes straying over the odd picturesque symbols again questioning if his translation had been off.

It did not follow the usual writing format found on the walls, which told stories of the life and of the gods. This one seemed to be writ from the dead Pharaoh himself. It gave Yoshimori a chill and he shook suddenly cold in the desert heat.

His assistants walked into the room around him, moving toward the sarcophagus. With out him realizing it, they began milling around preparing the sarcophagus for transportation out of its dusty room.

"Yoshimori?" The sharp questioning voice brought the archeologist back to the present. Swinging around, his eyes landed on the soft face of his funding assistant.

"Michael-san." Yoshimori stated, his 'l' sounding more like his native language 'ru'. "Sorry, the hieroglyphs just…"

The American laughed lightly as he stepped past Yoshimori, "Well, what do you expect from the famous Pharaoh who's name has been erased from the walls of time, replaced by some odd sounds."

Yoshimori had to agree that the unfamiliar hieroglyphics that had been placed over the Pharaoh's name forming the sounds of the Japanese word for shadow, was in itself odd and scary.

Yoshimori looked around the tomb with a wonder akin to walking into a graveyard in the middle of the night with nothing but a flashlight and a prayer that the curse of Ju-on(1) was just a superstition.

The room seemed to hum with an ancient energy that crackled around Yoshimori's body, and the archeologist was reminded of the first time he'd held Yugi Muto's Millennium puzzle. He'd become somewhat paranoid after his unexplainable encounter with the boy, but found he couldn't shake his over-active imagination.

_What is this… feeling? Like a yearning… painful yearning…_

A loud commotion drew Yoshimori from his ponderings, as Michael called out toward him, batting a worker away from the find with excited movements.

"Yoshimori! Come quick, you need to see this!" Michael Smithe called out and his voice shattered the moment and the feelings were lost like the desert breeze as it passes by the Nile.

"What is it Michael-san?" Yoshimori asked once he had stepped over to stand above the ancient coffin. The distant sunlight licked the edges of the gold painted surface and the face of the dead pharaoh stared up at him, shocking him into a stunned silence.

_Dear god, this man… this Pharaoh… had hair… and he looks… familiar… somehow?_ It was a well known fact that the pharaoh's of Egypt and most of the higher officials, shaved off their hair to keep the lice away, and outlined their eyes in kohl to keep insects from the Nile out of their eyes. For a pharaoh to have kept his hair…

Yoshimori bent closer to get a better look, but was halted by Michael as the taller man grabbed him by his arm none so gently.

"Yoshimori, looks at this!" The American pulled down harshly and Yoshimori was dragged to the chest plate where the name of the Pharaoh would have been written. Not surprisingly the name had been chipped away.

"Michael-san, I already know that there is no na—"

"No! Look!" Michael cut him short, taking his hand and placing it over top of the chiseled stone.

Yoshimori tensed at the contact still not completely used to the American custom of casual touch, and was about to pull away when he felt what his partner had already seen.

_Nani…?(2)_

Yoshimori glanced down, sweat gathering on his brow as his face heated with excitement.

_No… it couldn't be…_

His fingers passed over the jagged surface following a thinly carved symbol, recognizing it before his eyes saw it. "Naze ka?"(3) He whispered, his chest tight and constricted squeezing the breath from him.

"You see, Yoshimori?" Michael stated proudly releasing his wrist and standing tall, his light colored hair glistening in the dim light. "It's Japanese, isn't it?" It was more of a statement than a question and it left Yoshimori's mouth cotton dry. A pause of silence passed over them as a cold thread of disbelief wove its way into his heart and sat there cold as an ice block.

"Ii yada!"(4) Yoshimori gasped, his hands shaking as his body became numb. His mind reeling back to the night he'd attacked Yugi and his friends and yet, he had no memory of doing so. As it had been before, the sensation of being in a place of great power and remorse consumed him, echoes of a timeless memory invaded his thoughts and he began to sweat unsure of how to react to this phenomenal find. He should have been excited, but instead he was terrified.

_What could this possibly mean?_

"Yoshimori? " Michael's voice was concerned as he laid a careful hand on Yoshimori's shoulder, "What's wrong?" The American turned his gaze to the sloppily carved Japanese. It looked as if a child had written the words, unsure of how to recreate the picture, and its implication left Yoshimori shaken. "What does it say, Yoshimori?"

Yoshimori stared at the hiragana, his entire being chilled in the massive heat as his eyes fell to the Egyptian puzzle carved upon the sarcophagus' chest, the all seeing eye in the upside-down triangle's center.

"Yami …" He paused to lick his lips, catching his breath and sounding as if he had lost his voice, "….. and….Yugi."

The wind howled harshly through the room extinguishing the torches and frightening the workers from the room. The men hurried from the tomb, their voices carrying back on the unusual breeze, screaming in terror of a curse. The curse of the _Shadow games._

Translations

1: Ju-on- The title of the Japanese version of "The Grudge." ^-^

2: Nani- what

3:Naze ka?- Why?

4: Ii Yada- An exclamation of denial. Ex. "No way!"

**A.N. So this is a repost of my original fic. I posted this on adult fanfiction dot net and mediaminer dot org some two years ago. Recently, a reviewer asked me to post this up on FFNet. Only problem is there is graphic M rated themes in this fic, and I have no urge to edit it. So if people do not like it they can leave. I am changing very little of the original sory, just fixing the flow and grammar a bit, and as the story is already completed you can expect an update every week on time. **


	2. Chapter 1

**A.N. There are several people who made this story possible. One of which was Blood Moon, who helped me with the ancient Egyptian phrases, and Dara from AFF also made sure I remembered there were people waiting for an update. But, one person has always been there giving me confidence, cookies and threats when necessary and I wanted to acknowledge her here. Thank you Cattie-Dono, if it weren't for you this story would never have been finished.**

**Disclaimer: Same as the Prologue. I don't own it.**

_**Chapter one**_

Hot panting breaths fanned over his skin as his sweaty body moved and arched up against the stronger and larger one above. He gasped at the feel of the other's body, heated and tense much like his own. Yugi moaned, unable to remain quiet as the larger hands moved, stroking and touching him in places never felt before.

Lips pressed to his and a powerful tongue swept in, loving and conquering him. This kiss was hungry and hot, forcefully pressing his head back and into the silky sheets below him.

Yugi kissed back his arms raising to hold his lover against him, their chests pressing together snugly; bronze to alabaster. Yugi lifted his hand to run his fingers through the hair on the other's head, enjoying the charge that raced through him at the throaty groan his actions caused.

The lips left his to trail over Yugi's neck, gentle nips and licks that followed the natural curve of his body. Yugi arched up, his breath a keening cry and he felt the lips spread into a wide grin. The person's rumble of humor ran over Yugi's flesh by their connected chests as the lips moved to his earlobe, nipping lovingly.

Yugi shivered, loving the touch, his body so close to its limits, he never wanted the sensations to stop. His chest was so full of suspended feelings that his body burned from his ears to the tips of his curled toes.

He called out a again, wondering if it was even possible to feel so good, when the deep resonant voice tickled his senses, the foreign language ruddy in his ears, yet completely understandable, "Fall, my light. I will catch you."

Yugi's eyes bugged open, the name of his lover shouted from his lips, and his violet eyes found and locked to the familiar set of crimson. His yami's darker face and complexion staring back at him.

His shadow side smiled, his brow slick with sweat, his bangs clinging to the flesh. Yugi was for some reason pleased by the image above him, though somehow he knew he shouldn't be. Yet, the only question in his mind, was why the name he'd shouted not been Yami, but something else.

Something…

Yugi sat up in his bed with a cry of surprise, chest heaving as he breathed in the cool air of his bedroom. _What was that?!_ Yugi shook, his body drenched in a cold sweat, from the nightmare he'd just woken from. _I… was… was… with…_

Embarressment flooded his system turning his cheeks red.

"ACK!" Yugi screamed, shaking his head violently trying to rid the sensual picture from his mind as once again his yami's sweaty, pleasured face filled his mind.

_Aibou? What's wrong?_

Yugi jumped in his place on the bed, his heart leaping into his throat at the sound of Yami's concerned question.

_Aibou?_

"I—I'm fine Yami. Just a … bad dream." Yugi answered out loud suddenly fearing that by some fluke Yami would have seen it as well. _What would he think of me then? It's not like I _wanted _to dream that!_

_Dream what, Aibou?_

Again, Yugi jumped. He could sense that Yami was beginning to become worried for him and Yugi laughed, sending a calm and happy feeling through the link he shared with his other half. "It was nothing, just a dream." Yugi said as he crawled from his bed stretching and moving toward the bathroom.

_I guess… if you are certain. _

"Yes, Yami. I'm perfectly fine." Yugi quickly tried to change the topic not willing to stay on that for too long. "Isn't there a test today?"

_In history, Aibou, and if I remember, you did not study last night._

Yugi laughed under his breath at the teasing tone that was meant to resemble his mother. "Yeah, Yeah, I remember…" Yugi responded good-naturedly as he opened the door to the bathroom, his school clothes in his arms. "I need to bathe now."

_I'll leave you then._

Yugi waited patiently until the feeling of Yami's presence faded before collapsing against the wall to his bedroom with a heavy sigh. _There is no way I could tell anyone about that dream… it was just… too weird!_ Yugi thought to himself quietly in case Yami was still near enough to hear him. It was strange but, Yugi couldn't bring himself to call the dream a nightmare, although, that was what he knew it had to be. Him and Yami having sex…

Yugi blushed darkly, swallowing hard a moment before shaking his head harshly and moving toward the shower to wrench it on. Pulling his pajama's and boxers from his body he jumped into the cold spray of the water, his hair bending down under the weight of it. _I am not gay. _

Yugi stood there trying to convince himself that the dream had not been the cause for his current physical condition. No, it just couldn't be that, after all, he loved Anzu… right? _Yeah… it's just…. morning wood… yeah, that's got to be it!_

XXX

The school room was buzzing with the news of the day, the continuous hum from the other students drowning out the inner thoughts that filled Yugi's head. _Why… why did I dream that?_

Yugi sighed in annoyance not liking the way his own mind tormented him with the fact that he'd had a very arousing dream of himself and his darker spirit friend. _I mean… Yami… doesn't even have his own body… so why would I dream of… of… _ Yugi suddenly sat up straight a puzzled look on his face. _Does that make it…_

"Masturbation?" Yugi asked aloud to himself, and was startled when someone answered his question.

"Yeah, when you grope yourself for a pleasurable experience. You know what that is right Yug?" Jonouchi's voice startled the smaller boy, and he turned around with wide eyes.

"Huh? Jonouchi, when did you get in?"

The taller teen grinned, taking the bait and dropped the topic. "Just now, got caught up in some wild story on the street."

"Really?" Yugi asked, sitting back into his chair more with a smile glad for an excuse to stop questioning his own sexuality. _It must have been because of the conversation with Jonouchi last night… yeah that was it. _

Yugi smiled finally putting that matter aside. Jonouchi had been teasing him the night before when Honda, Jonouchi and he had been watching the Video Girl film. His teasing being focused on Yugi's innocence which had brought up the mention of Yami being his darker side, and how Yami had probably had a few sex slaves while in his life as Pharaoh, and then the two had had a very serious conversation on his Yami's sex life which, of course, had embarrassed him to no ends. It had ended with Yami coming out and telling the other two to butt-out of his personal affairs, which of course had ended in a duel match, to which (of course) Yami won.

_Yeah, that dream was brought on because of that conversation… nothing more._ Yugi smiled wider, almost feeling like thanking Jonouchi for his help when he caught the tail end of his friend's long, drawn out, one-sided, conversation.

"… so I was thinking, y'know, that sounds a lot like Yami, I mean, the Pharaoh of nameless Shadows? How much more evidence do you need?"

"What?!" Yugi asked hands splayed across the desktop. Jonouchi blinked, confused by Yugi's reaction, but replied none-the-less.

"The new mummy your friend Yoshimori dug up. C'mon, everyone's talking about it. Weren't you listening?"

Yugi sat back with a light flush of embarrassment for being caught not paying the fullest of attention. "Sorry, Jonouchi… I… had a bad nightmare and was kinda still thinking about it and… well…"

"Bad dream, huh?" Jonouchi asked, placing his fingertip to his lower lip in thought. "What was it about?"

Yugi turned the color of a pickled plum in less than forty seconds. "Th—th… that's… uh… well, you see… it um…" Yugi swallowed hard when Jonouchi leaned in closer ready to begin the long drawn out method of prying the answers from him, when Yugi was saved by the teacher walking into the room and calling the class to attention.

"Damn… talk to you at lunch, Yug." Jonouchi moved back to his seat with a wave, and Yugi managed a small wave in return laughing to himself in relief.

_That was close…_ _guess I need to stop mentioning it…_ Yugi stood with the rest of the class, bowing low before re-seating himself to begin class. His eyes strayed to the back of Anzu's head. He gazed at her as she worked away, studying hard as usual. _If she wants to get into an American school… she'll have to work hard... _ Yugi made a sad face wondering, just how much longer he'd actually have with her, and if she'd ever look his way in return. _If she goes away to America… then, I won't see her ever again, will I?_

Yugi turned his attention back to the teacher, who was diligently explaining the rules of the test he was about to take. A test he already knew he was going to fail. _Why can't we have a test on ancient Egypt? I could pass that… _Yugi complained lightly as the test was shuffled back toward him.

The test on the Boshin Wars.

How exciting…

Yugi passed the papers behind him, already fearing the first question. He'd been learning how to speak Ancient Egyptian, what Yami called "Sekh Shat" (also known as Hieratic and later in written terms as Demotic), and hadn't even thought of his own history, for which, now, he was suffering.

_What year did the first battle of the Boshin Wars occur in?_

Yugi blinked.

_I am so dead…_ Yugi was suddenly glad that his mother was away visiting his father's parents as well as some old family friends. If she was around to ask about this test, not to mention when the grades came out, he really would be dead.

Yugi felt his insides drop, wondering if the dream that morning had been a sign that his life was going to hell in a hand basket, and if King Enma was going to pop up and tell him that he was going to suffer eternity in hell.

_It would most likely be a visit from Aker. _Yami's voice made Yugi jump slightly and he had to keep himself from talking out loud to his darker self. It had become a habit to speak to him like a normal person, but out loud during the middle of a test would not be good, not at all. _Gee, thanks, the god of the underworld…_

_Isn't that who your King Enma is?_

Yugi tried not to roll his eyes and sighed, his eyes darting to the clock on the wall wondering how much time he had left. _I'm trying to take a test here Yami… _

_You don't seem too far Aibou. Would you like me to help?_

It was salt in the wound, knowing that his yami from ancient Egypt knew more about his country's history than he did. Another glance at the question, and one more at the clock and Yami's help was looking really good. _No… thanks anyway Yami._ Yugi said, feeling a little saddened at his decision, yet somehow lightened by it. He never had felt right about cheating, it just wasn't right, and using Yami to improve his grades was worse than cheating. It was using someone else to gain status, and that made Yugi feel sick.

Yami chuckled from inside his head and Yugi made a face. _Yami?_

_Nothing Aibou, you're just too good. _

Yugi sat up confused, tilting his head to the side slightly as his inner self continued to laugh with in his mind. Yugi rolled his eyes and stared back at his paper and the first question again. _Oh man, was it… 188- no 187- oh man… this is not going to end well…_

XXX

"Damn, I bombed that test." Jonouchi said with a loud chuckle, scratching at the side of his head. Guess I should have been paying attention to the teacher when he was running over the facts, huh?"

"That would have been smart." Anzu said good-naturedly, and continued to eat from her bento. The blond gave her a mock glare and stole a rice ball from her lunch, popping it into his mouth before she could recover enough to strike out at him. "Jonouchi!"

Yugi and Honda chuckled from the side, watching the two fight. Anzu reminded Yugi of his mother, throwing a tantrum because he'd not cleaned his room in over a month, and Jonouchi, oddly enough, reminded him of his grandfather. Always one step ahead of the mother.

That didn't save Jonouchi from the back of Anzu's lunch pail.

"You jerk, that was my last rice ball!"

"Ow! I'm sorry, jeeze Anzu, lower the claws! I'll give you a refund, I swear!" Jonouchi said, his perpetual grin, still plastered to his face. The brunette rolled her eyes and scooted closer to Yugi's side, most likely hoping that Yami would protect her food from harm.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Anzu popped another bit of food into her mouth and chewed thoughtfully, her eyes glittering with mirth at the company of her friends. It was said that food tastes better when eaten with those you care for. From the look on Anzu's face, Yugi was sure the saying was true.

Yugi was just biting into his own food when Honda spoke up, reminding Yugi of the conversation promised by Jonouchi. "So, what was so important this morning that you had to speak to Yugi about?"

Yugi abandoned his food and turned his attention to the blond who currently had food hanging from his mouth. He looked confused and did nothing but blink for several long minutes.

"What do you mean?" Jonouchi asked around his food, the words barely making any form of sense to Yugi.

Honda made a face and leaned closer snatching the meal away from Jonouchi, a very reckless move for one who wished to keep all ten fingers and toes intact on their body.

"What do I mean? I mean why did you bolt passed Anzu and I like Kaiba suddenly announced his undying love for you, screaming how Yugi absolutely had to hear about _this._" Honda emphasized the last word, showing that he still was clueless as to what it was that Jonouchi had to convey.

"Oh! That." Jonouchi said, grinning and recapturing his food. "It was just the rumor that that Yoshimori guy had found the mummy of the Pharaoh of Nameless Shadows, and found not one, but _two _bodies in the sarcophagus." Jonouchi gave a creepy look, his hands raised in the usual fashion he took when referring to a ghost story. It was an action, Yugi was sure, to be because of Jonouchi's own innate fear of the dead, ghosts, and whatnot. _It's a mystery why he isn't terrified of Yami… _Yugi thought to himself, blocking his other unconsciously. An uneasy shiver passed down Yugi's spine, and settled like a cold lump in his stomach, but from what or why, he didn't know.

"… and this is important because?" Anzu asked, sounding unusually dense. Jonouchi dropped his arms and rolled his eyes at her as though she were an annoying child.

"The _nameless _Pharaoh of _Shadows_?" Jonouchi enunciated. "Doesn't that sound a bit too much like our Pharaoh?"

Yugi had to smile at the way Jonouchi worded it. The entire group had just simply accepted Yami as he was. Yugi wasn't sure how he'd gotten so lucky, but he was very grateful that his friends had held close to him, even after having been possessed by the spirit of an ancient pharaoh.

"Jou's right." Honda said sounding a little off, as though he were a bit unnerved. Yugi looked to his friend, squishing his jelly roll in his hand until the stuffing dribbled out.

"But, what exactly could that mean—Ah! Yugi, you're snack." Anzu pointed out, being the first to notice the demise of the sweet desert.

Slowly lowering his eyes, Yugi looked at the deep purple mess that coating his fingers and hand. _Ahh, man, that was the last one too… _

_Aibou? Is everything all right?_ Yami questioned in his mind, and Yugi realized that his sorrow at losing his sweet was rolling clearly across the link. _Yeah, I'm fine. I just kinda squashed my jelly roll though…_

A warm chuckle was his reply and Yugi sighed, reaching for a napkin. Anzu handed one to him, and Yugi smiled, feeling his cheeks warm as their fingertips brushed. "Thanks, Anzu-chan."

"It's nothing."

"Yeah, so, what did the Jelly roll do to ya, to inflict the wrath of your vengeance Yug'?" Jonouchi laughed, but quickly grew serious. "Was this nightmare of yours… about jelly rolls?"

At the mention of his dream Yugi simultaneously paled and flushed a dark red. "N—no! It had nothing to do with Jelly rolls, Jonouchi!" Yugi yelled jumping to his feet, arms flailing about trying to prove his innocence of his accused crime of Jelly roll molestation. But, he only proceeded to make the group laugh at his antics. At the very least though, they dropped the conversation on his nightmare.

XXX

The house was quiet as Yugi sat in his room at his desk chair fiddling with the millennium puzzle. One socked foot was propped up on the seat's edge near his rump while his other foot dangled toward the ground. His white sock had pulled a bit loose over the day, and an inch of the material drooped past his foot to brush the ground where his toes could not. It bugged him how he had yet to have his growth spurt. Anzu stood nearly a foot and a half taller than him, and she was not the tallest girl in their class either.

Yugi sighed, pushing on the puzzle's edge, one of the many, and knocked it over onto its side displaying the eye of Ra to him.

_Aibou? What is wrong?_ Yami asked silently with in Yugi's mind, speaking in his native Egyptian language. Yugi clearly understood him, though it took several moments for him to think over the words, and shrugged his shoulders replying in the same tongue, "Nothing much… really."

_But…?_ Yami asked, not dissuaded by Yugi's words. Yugi sighed again, Yami truly knew him much too well.

"It's just… Jonouchi…" Yugi paused and released a big sigh. "Can you… come out, please?" Yugi asked reverting back to Japanese. "Onegai… Yami."

There was a moment's pause before a slight discomfort came over Yugi, as if he was being pulled apart, but it wasn't painful, just annoying. Yugi made a face and then it was over and standing beside him was a much taller 'him', but of course it was not.

"What is it, Aibou?" Yami asked, his deep voice seeming to echo in the otherwise silent house. Yugi turned to look back at their puzzle, after all, it belonged to both of them, though in this form Yami appeared to have his own, Yugi knew it was just a shadow image of his own looks. Yami was from Egypt after all, and Yugi just couldn't believe that Yami had his skin tone after living in Egypt all his life.

"Yami… you, don't remember all of your past right?" Yugi asked cautiously, knowing that this topic was a sensitive one, for both of them. Yami was silent another moment before speaking.

"Yes, that is correct. I do remember most of it… though the end of my life is a complete blank. Why?"

Yugi chewed the inside of his cheek in apprehension, his fingertip toppling the puzzle once more. _… It's a stupid question… right? I mean the only hint we have is… the name… and … well… _

A warm hand covered his own, and Yugi blinked, looking up, startled, to find Yami's warm red gaze on his own. "Aibou, I can't help you if you do not tell me what's wrong."

Yugi flushed darkly, his heart pounding in his chest as with the casual touch that was commonplace brought on memories from a dream not so innocent. _What… what's wrong with me?!_ Yugi yanked his hand back and looked away from his startled (and slightly hurt) other half, suddenly very grateful that Yami wasn't using their mind link at that moment, being as polite as he was. _I'm not blushing! I'm _not_ attracted to Yami! And I am _NOT_ gay!_

"Aibou?" Yami's voice was slightly flat, not exactly saddened but different enough so that Yugi could feel the change.

"G-gomen ne… Yami… kun." Yugi added unintentionally placing the distance between them with the formal attachment.

Yami blinked at the additive and frowned slightly, crossing his arms waiting for Yugi's explanations and he didn't have to wait too long.

"…Jonouchi said that… Professor Yoshimori discovered a new mummy in Egypt… a Pharaoh… and he thinks… that it might… be you and—" Yugi was cut short as his Grandfather's voice called up the stair well.

"Yugi! Phone call!" Yugi, twisted toward the door and blinked wide violet eyes before turning back to his dark counterpart.

"Go. I'll wait here." Yami replied with a tight smile, and Yugi flinched lightly at its cold tone.

Yami was upset.

Not pissed, not sad, but upset.

Yugi nodded and stood quickly leaving the room, keeping his eyes to the floor. _Why? Why am I acting… like… ARGG!! This is so stupid! He is Yami! He is my friend, the dream was just a dream! We are both completely normal, normal and straight._

Yugi paused at the bottom of the stair well, his eyes suddenly the size of dinner plates as, what little color he had to his face, drained quickly from his cheeks. _… or is he?_

Yugi shook his head violently, his hands raising in fists near his shoulders. _No, stop it! He's your friend, and he is as straight as I am! _With a nod to himself, Yugi walked out and into the front room when the phone was. His Grandfather stood beside it with a large smile.

"Who is it?"

"Yoshimori-san." Yugi blinked, again, and picked up the phone with numb fingers, somewhat dreading what the Professor had to say. _Why am I getting all weirded out for? Nothing is going to happen._ Yugi tried to reassure himself, but the cold dread still lingered in his heart like a bad omen.

"Moshi, Moshi?"

"Aa, Yugi-kun, this is Yoshimori-san. Sorry, to bother you, but there is something I wish to show you and your grandfather—your friends are welcome to come as well—tomorrow afternoon at the Museum." Yoshimori sounded rushed, and more then slightly scared, and it caused Yugi's stomach to drop. Last time he'd gone to see him, the man had been turned into a living puppet.

"Uh… okay… but why are you asking me?" Yugi asked hesitantly, and heard a deep sigh from the other end. _Why am I not liking this?_ Yugi shifted his weight to his other foot and waited.

"… I'll explain that tomorrow, but I have one question Yugi…"

Yugi gulped.

"Yes?" His heart fairly thundered in his ribcage, and instantly he felt the gentle pulse of Yami's presence in his mind, warm and soothing, easing his fear. Yugi grasped onto that strength and held tight, clinging to his other self as if he were to let go he'd be lost.

And in a way, he would be.

"This may be a silly question, but…" Yoshimori paused as if debating on whether he should ask his question of not, and Yugi felt his heart rate quicken. He had never been one to freak easily, but for some reason, his entire being seemed to beg him to refuse to go, to run away and hide from the man on the other line. Yugi shook his head forcing himself to relax. _It's nothing Yugi, you're just over sensitive, that's all. Too many adventures and coincidences have made you paranoid…_ Yugi breathed out and stood taller with a forced smile. Yeah, nothing was wrong, Yoshimori just wanted to show off some more Egyptian artifacts to him and his friends, and with a steady nod to himself Yugi relaxed.

"…does the name, Yami, mean anything to you?"

Yugi dropped the phone.

He would later recall his grandfather calling after him as he bolted up the stairs and into the sanctuary of his room, his old weathered voice apologizing to Yoshimori, but at that moment he heard nothing, the question tumbling through his mind, ringing with a loud clarity that shattered the safe security that Yami brought.

"Aibou?!" Yami asked, once he'd slammed into his room, his face drenched in sweat, his heart racing, his mind in a panic. "Aibou, are you all right?"

Yugi didn't answer as he sat in his own terror-stricken mind. _He knows! He knows! _Screaming through his mind.

Yami winced slightly from where he stood at the loud screams, his own concern rising swiftly as Yugi refused to respond, but Yugi was oblivious to it all.

"Aibou, who, knows what?" Yami all but screamed and Yugi turned panic-stricken eyes to him, "Yoshimori-san… I don't know how, but he knows! He _knows _Yami!" Yugi couldn't explain why this news scared him so badly, some part of him knew that it shouldn't, but at the same time, he just couldn't control his fear. Somehow his Oji-san's friend had found out about his other half, and that meant he knew of the shadow games, and that of course meant that he also knew of the secrets of the Millennium Puzzle, and that meant—

He began to shake and tremble, and his breathing quickened. Yami's face became stern as he moved forward towards Yugi, who was currently sitting in a curled position on the floor, arms locked around his knees (he'd slid down the closed door when he'd entered) and Yami kneeled in front of him, placing one hand on Yugi's shoulder.

_Hush now, Aibou. It is all right. I am here… see? Everything is fine, but you must calm yourself before you start to hyperventilate._ Yami's warm presence filtered through out his body as his shadow side willing plunged into every corner of Yugi's distraught mind, bent on comforting him in any way possible.

Yugi wasn't sure where Yami had learned the word hyperventilate, but assumed it was another plus for the dark Pharaoh when he possessed Yugi. After all, he had gained all of Yugi's knowledge and then some after taking up residency in him. Quite annoying since Yugi had had to learn it all the hard way, but, somehow his words were calming. Probably due to the fact that the voice echoed through his mind, forcing the blind fear back as Yami's room inside his soul, opened slightly, pulling the negative feelings from Yugi, and into the darkened room.

Yugi suddenly started to cry. He wasn't sure why, he just was, and somehow, Yami seemed to understand, and sat there with his hand on Yugi's shoulder until the tears passed.

"G-gomen… ne… Y-yami. I don't …. know… what's… what's wrong with me…t-today." Yugi sniffled rubbing disgustedly at his tears. _Great, now I'm crying…like a baby…how emasculating is that?!_

Yami chuckled, and Yugi realized that they were still linked.

"You are not a crybaby, you just had too many surprises in one day Aibou. That is completely understandable."

Yugi managed a weak smile and a nod, rubbing at his cheeks once again still brooding over his emotional trauma, and fairly bruised ego. _First I'm dreaming of… that. And now I'm acting like… this._

Yugi felt Yami stiffen and realized briefly that his yami was still deeply connected to his mind and feelings, thus meaning that last thought had been heard loud and clear and Yugi quickly stopped thinking of that.

After a moment Yami squeezed Yugi's small shoulder to get his attention. Yugi looked up with wide amethyst eyes, still feeling rather foolish when Yami spoke.

"Sorry, for probing Aibou, but, with all your panic, I caught most of what's been troubling you when I entered your soul room to calm you." Yami said softly, looking almost guilty.

Yugi had to smile at that. Yami started to stay away from his thoughts after he'd 'peeped' in on one of Yugi's fantasies of Anzu. Yugi had never been so angry in all of his life. After the screaming had been done, Yami seemed to stay clear unless the thoughts were directed to him, though overspill was still common and frequent, Yami made it a point not to snoop.

"That's all right." Yugi smiled, not noticing how his darker side quirked an eyebrow in amusement.

"It is?"

"Yeah, I mean, I was acting crazy. I'm glad you helped, so just forget … it…"

Then the weight of that statement sunk in.

_Shit… Yami can't mean… he wouldn't have…_

"… _What _all did you hear… see…?" Yugi asked, deathly white. Yami grinned and moved his hand to ruffle Yugi's hair playfully.

"Everyone has dreams like that at some point in their life Aibou. It means nothing. Though I am flattered… Aibou." Yami laughed out right, his teasing hitting home.

Yugi turned bright red, and would have started to yell had Yami not then turned serious and sat back on his haunches arms resting on his knees. "Though, this business with the "Pharaoh of Shadows" does interest me."

Yugi looked at his knees and nodded his head, his gut still cold with a fear he could not explain. For some reason, he did _not _want to go to Yoshimori's, but that was just silly, right?

"Lightning never strikes twice…"

"Aibou?"

Yugi shook his head at Yami's concern. "Nothing."

"Aibou, I wish to go."

"You think it will help you with the gaps, huh?" Yugi asked, and Yami nodded.

"If it is indeed, me, than I believe it should help at least a little."

Yugi felt the knot in his stomach twist painfully, and he forced a smile. "Okay then. I'll tell Jonouchi, Anzu, and Honda tomorrow and we'll all go together."

Yami turned and returned the smile. "All right then. But now, you need sleep." Yugi rolled his eyes standing up and moving to his bed.

"Yes, Mother…" He could feel Yami's glare as he returned to his place inside Yugi's soul just as his door opened and his grandfather walked in, looking pale and worried.

"Oji-san?"

"Yugi, are you all right?"

Yugi nodded with a smile, "Yeah… I just was startled when Yoshimori… mentioned, Yami." Yugi muttered out, scratching the back of his head, just now realizing how much of a shock he must have give his grandfather.

"What?!" Sugoroku overreacted as he usually tended to do when surprised. It was a wonder that he had kept himself together when he first found out about Yami. Though now that Yugi thought of it, he was pretty sure the elderly Mutou knew about the puzzle's spirit long before he officially found out. "Yugi-kun, what do you mean, Yoshimori knows about Yami?" Sugoroku asked, his hands gripping Yugi's shoulders tightly, his plumb eyes boring into Yugi's purple.

A sudden urge to flee filled Yugi's insides, but he quickly squashed it, instead, turning to face the problem at hand. _Jii-chan has a right to know what's going on, as much as anyone else._

Yugi rolled his eyes, getting the feeling that he was never going to get to bed, before sitting down to explain the whole (short) conversation he'd had with Yoshimori on the phone to his grandfather.

XXX

The museum was the same as the last time they'd been there, silent, cold, and dark, save for the few lights left on that illuminated the small display before them.

Yugi stood between Jonouchi and his Grandfather, feeling an unease deep in his heart that refused to falter. It was just the three of them, four if you counted Yami. Anzu had to cancel due to her prior engagement with work, and Honda had to get home to watch his nephew but promised to meet them there later if he could get out of it. Yugi looked around with wide eyes, expecting Shadi to pop out at any moment and commence another shadow game. His palms were sweaty and his heart was racing when Yoshimori came to the center piece of the findings. _Why am I so scared? _

Yugi asked again for the millionth time that day. He simply could not explain it, and Yami had given up after the first fifteen guesses.

Now, as Yoshimori guided them through the place explaining the oddities of the find, Yugi suddenly had the strongest urge to turn and run.

Fast.

"… but you see, the name of the Pharaoh, was spelled out-in hieroglyphs-to make the sounds 'ya-mi'. Piecing it together it makes our word yami. But it was after we un earthed the sarcophagus that I realized that yami, was a name." Yoshimori paused in front of a glass case where inside sat the golden painted sarcophagus. The dazzling paint still beautiful even after over a millennia beneath the sand.

Yugi looked over the piece with a fascination, recognizing the face instantly. It was truly amazing, the like-ness that the mask held to the old Pharaoh's true face. Yugi smiled, some excitement easing his fear for the briefest of moments. _Yami… this is supposed to be you. _Yugi thought excitedly, feeling as though he had somehow helped his other self reclaim some of his still hidden memories.

_I know…_

Yami sounded distant, and Yugi let him be, pressing his face close to the glass, his exhalation causing the clear barrier to fog up. _… You look kinda constipated… _Yugi grinned when the Ancient Pharaoh started to swear at him in his native language. He had meant to leave his yami alone, but the thought had just sort of struck him as true. After a moment of silence, Yugi heard Yami's deep aggravated voice reply in his head, sounding a bit surprised.

… _You're right… It does… doesn't it?_

Yugi laughed to himself, to which the rest of the party wrote off as simple excitement and ignored him all together.

"How did you figure that out, doc?" Jonouchi asked, leaning over Yugi, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. "That Yami was a name I mean." Jonouchi stood on his toes trying to see around the Pharaoh, as if looking for a "My name is Yami" poster somewhere on the sarcophagus.

"The markings right there, where the Pharaoh's name should be carved…" Yugi moved his eyes to the indicated spot, and suddenly felt his world stop spinning, "It's written in Japanese symbols. And it reads—"

"Yami… and… Yugi…" Yugi's voice was no louder than a whisper in the room, but to the other's it fell like a bomb, and just like one, it exploded quickly after impact.

"WHAT?!" Jonouchi yelled, practically shoving Yugi out of the way to read the text for himself. "Shit! You're right!" Jonouchi looked back at Yugi with a narrowed gaze. "But, how the hell…"

"There's more." Yoshimori began, and all three turned to him expectantly, and Yugi's fear returned with a vengeance. "When we brought the sarcophagus back, and opened it… we found, two bodies." Yoshimori's eyes strayed to Yugi, and Yugi gave a little jump suddenly feeling as though he were free falling. "One's, exactly your size… Yugi."

Yugi swallowed hard, and turned fearful eyes to his grandfather, who in turn, turned to his friend with a soft glare. "Yoshimori-san, this proves nothing, the size and or height of a mummy, shows absolutely nothing aside from decay or possible age."

Yoshimori nodded his blond head with a sorrowful smile on his face. "I know Sugoroku, that was why I ran a DNA test on some of the bone tissue that was still, amazingly, viable."

The air had suddenly turned tensed and heavy, as the impending doom fell ever faster toward them, with each person desperately trying to deny the truth.

Yugi shook from within, cold and terrified. _Yami… I don't like this…_ Yugi thought to his other self. The darker one seemed as shocked as the rest, barely managing to state Yugi's nick-name.

_Aibou_…

_Yami… I want to leave… now… I…_ Yugi swallowed his heart racing in his chest and making his ribs ache. Something was wrong with this whole scene, and Yugi wanted out, before another tragedy could tear his little world apart.

"Yugi." Yoshimori's eyes fell on to him at once and Yugi jumped hands shaking at his sides, "The DNA was a perfect match… with yours."

His heart stopped in his chest and he began to back away, his hands raised up in defense. "N-no… how could I… I mean…" Yugi shook his head as Jonouchi looked at him in complete confusion, his grandfather in fear, and Yoshimori with sadness. "I'm alive now! How could I be that Mummy I-" Yugi's screaming was cut short quickly as his mind suddenly reacted to the sixth sense of his (the same one that made him terrified now, the one that he began to develop after enemy after enemy appeared to challenge him and Yami), his arm hairs raising on end.

He stopped walking backward, frozen in his place.

A sharp pulse rocked through his body and crashed into his heart causing it to flutter erratically for a moment. _What?!_

Cold terror raced up his spine, as survival instincts kicked in, screaming at him to run, escape, hide! Slowly, he turned, his ears filling with blotted noises, and broken sentences.

Jonouchi's voice seemed to echo back to him from far away as his vision became distorted. Before him, in a glass case rested two perfectly preserved mummies, one seemingly wrapped around the other in a protective embrace.

A scream tore from his throat as a burning raced through his body, it tore at his mind and heart and Yugi reached up grabbing his head in both of his hands as he lost control over his entire body. _What—what's… Yami! Help me! Grandfather! Jonouchi! Somebody! _

A soothing, deep voice, whispered in his ear, though there was no one there, "Hikari… I like that word… it fits you. My Hikari." The voice fumbled over the foreign word and made Yugi shiver as blackness seeped into his vision.

_Aibou!?_

The shout was whisper thin in his ears, and Yugi tried to grasp the sound even as his chest constricted and his breathing stopped. _Am I dying?_

Something soft and golden brushed by him, leaving the odd sense of calmness in its wake, and then…

Yugi lost consciousness.

XXX

Yami felt a searing heat burn its way through the body he shared with Yugi, and with the heat came a sharp agonizing pain. Yugi's fear immediately over whelmed him and Yami quickly sent out his mind to try and comfort Yugi, but the moment his mind touched Yugi's he was thrown painfully back to his place in his soul room.

_Aibou!? _Yami screamed mentally when the boy's scream erupted from his mouth. Yami felt his own panic rising and bolted for the door to his soul room. If he could not reach Yugi from where he was, he'd enter Yugi's soul room and get to him through there.

The door was burning hot to the touch as if Ra himself had set it aflame. Yami let go of the handle a moment and another cry entered his mind, this time a plea, a plea for help.

His help.

Yami threw the door open cringing at the pain and stepped into the hall, but Yugi's soul room was closed and a bright light seeped from beneath the door.

_Why is his door closed if he is in control of his body?_ The prospect made Yami's blood run cold and he swallowed hard.

From inside the room Yami could hear Yugi screaming, and Yami jumped forward toward the door.

_Yugi!_

The light seemed to expand suddenly, exploding outward and blinding him. Yami threw his arms up over his eyes at the intensity, the light burning at him, and tearing at his arms as if drawing him in. _Why is this light.. so familiar?_

The screaming faded along with the brightness, and slowly, Yami let his arms drop. He opened one eye carefully, and then dropped both arms to his sides, staring, unbelievingly at the empty space before him.

_What in the name of Ra…_

Yugi's door, his room of the soul, was completely gone.

XXX

Jonouchi shook Yugi's shoulders harshly, his heart in his throat. He was terrified, and that was a feeling he did not like, at all. "Yugi! Wake up man!"

"Yugi, what's wrong?" Grandfather Muto asked from over his shoulder, and Jonouchi felt a weight press down onto his shoulder.

"What the hell just happened!" Jonouchi turned on the Professor, his eyes blazing in angered fear. Twice he'd met this man, and twice something had gone terribly wrong. _If Yugi is hurt, I promise I will kill you._ Jonouchi thought unconsciously holding his dearest friend closer to himself, in an attempt to protect the smaller boy.

"I don't know… he just stood next to the—"

"Don't give me your bullshit! Where's that freaky Egyptian guy, huh? Where's he hiding and what is he after now?!" Jonouchi bellowed, half rising to his feet ready to pummel the guy, knock out a few more of his teeth, when Yugi shifted in his arms, groaning.

Jonouchi turned his attention back to his friend calling out, "Yugi? You all right man?"

Red eyes blinked open.

_What the…_ Jonouchi blinked and leaned away as the boy sat up on his own, looking around the room in near terror.

"Yugi?" Grandfather Muto started to talk but choked on his words when those crimson eyes turned to him.

"No, Muto-san." Something was off with Yami's voice, Jonouchi couldn't place it, but it sounded different. More raw, and unsteady. _Like that time with Dartz…_

This time it was the professor who gasped, obviously confused as to what had just happened. "What's going on? Why are Yugi's eyes red? Is that an Egyptian accent?!"

But Yoshimori's questions where the last thing on Jonouchi's mind as he turned angered eyes to Yami, grabbing him by the shoulder to get his attention.

"Yami, where is Yugi? Why are you here?"

Yami seemed confused by the question and blinked at him before his gaze became unfocused and his eyes shifted back and forth, as if searching for something.

"Yami?! His name is…"

"Yoshimori, please relax, I'll explain everything, in a minute, okay?" Grandfather Muto said, taking the whole ordeal rather calmly. Then again, with everything else that had happened to Yugi and the world in general Yugi's spiritual lapse was hardly anything to worry over. Yoshimori was about to complain some more when Yami's eyes suddenly flicked back up to Jonouchi's with a look that made Jonouchi sick.

Fear.

Yami was scared.

Jonouchi's heart leaped into his throat, his limbs turning to ice as he waited for the red-eyed Pharaoh to explain himself. When he finally did, Jonouchi wished he hadn't.

"He's… he's gone."

XXX

The air was cold, but quickly warming. Light dawned on his face as a gentle wind drifted by, causing his hair to shift restlessly. A soft tinkling sound brushed by as granules of sand tickled his face.

Yugi shifted slowly, his whole body on fire. _Oww, what happened, Yami?_ Yugi asked as he managed to sit up fully. A cold nothingness resounded through-out his body. _Yami?_ Yugi asked beginning to panic at the empty feeling in his soul.

Still nothing.

Yugi opened his eyes quickly, looking around him at the miles and miles of sand dunes. The wind pushing and moving the particles giving it the appearance of moment, like the sea. On the horizon, like a golden plate, the sun rose, casting vibrant colors across the dark sky and warming the icy air around him. _Where… am I?_

Yugi shook, swallowing hard and stood to his feet. "Yami?... Yami, please answer me! Yami!" His voice echoed tirelessly on the barren wind and Yugi felt hot tears sting his cheeks. "YAMI!!!" The scream was bitter on his lips, as it tore from his throat to shatter the wind with his despair and terror.

He was utterly alone.

(End Theme: "Night Flower")

_ai no kuni wo samayou_

_watashi wo mitsuke dashite_

_tsubasa ni wa mada_

_surikireta hazu no kokoro kakushite_

_watashi no mune wo someta_

_ikusen no hanabira wa_

_kanashii kurai anata wo koishiku saseru_

_mou ichido_

_sugaritsuku shunkan_

_surinukeru maboroshi_

_anata no subete wo ubai saritai_

_itetsuita NAIFU kazashi_

_ai wa mau yoru no hana wo chirashite_

_aishite, iyasarete, tokihanatsu - kokoro sae..._

_motto hageshiku kanjite_

_sadame nara_

_yasuragi mo, nukumori mo iranai_

_itetsuita NAIFU kazashi_

_ai wa mau yoru no hana wo chirashite_

_kowashite, kizutsukete, tojikomete - kokoro sae..._

_motto hageshiku aishite_

**A.N. Not much to say aside from the fact that re-reading this is painful. ^-^ I ended up adding some things and changing others. I confused myself in several places so hopefully now it runs more smoothly. Please review, I very much like to hear from you all.**

**Lechan**

**P.S. I've decided to make each chapter like an "episode" so the ending theme is there. ^-^ I leave no claim to the song, it's from the Anime Series Key: the Metal Idol, and I felt that the lyrics fit this story quite nicely. This is an "edited" version I "made" the full length song will be shown at the end, in both English and Japanese. The English Translation to this song will be shown at the end of Chapter two. ^-^ Till then.**


	3. Chapter 2

**A.N. Thanks for all the reviews! ^-^ I wasn't expecting many from this old story, but I love to see them all the same. As for the veterans out there, hope I'm not changing too much for you. **

_**Chapter Two**_

"Yugi's… gone." Yami repeated the same statement again, the dry feel of the words out of place in his mouth. His chest felt tight with a deep sense of loss even as his mind denied the fact that his light, his partner, was gone.

And yet, he was.

"Gone? What the hell do you mean by that Yami! Yugi can't possibly be…" Jonouchi's voice sounded angry and yet it trailed off distantly at the utter lack of response from the spirit. Jonouchi fell silent in a haze of shocked denial and subdued pain, but Yami was completely unaware of it. His body and mind still numb, running frantically over the blurred memories of the past few moments, Yami was incapable of noticing anything beyond that.

_Aibou… where are you? Why are you hiding from me?_

Yami's breath came faster as a new feeling washed over him, one he was desperately unused to; panic. It was the icy fingers of that emotion which forced him from his motionless stance. Burning anger washed over his senses as he stood, eyes glaring over toward the professor who stood as shocked and motionless as Yugi's grandfather was.

Anger. That was an emotion he knew how to handle, and so Yami clung to it, forcing the emotion higher, blocking out the fear, turning it into something he could use.

_Yugi didn't want to be here! Something was wrong from the beginning, and it is your fault!_ Yami refused to remember that it had been he who had requested of Yugi to go, and locked his eyes with the professor who had done nothing more than dig up a ruin with a Pharaoh's body in it.

Yami blunted his glare when the professor gasped, stumbling and falling to his knees, but his softened look had not been for that man, but rather, for the white-shocked terror that pained the elderly Muto's face.

"Y… Y…Yugi is…." His sentence trailed off, and Yami had to look away from the desperation in the other's face. Guilt swirled up, quickly subduing the anger and clutched at his heart. But guilt was only prevalent for a moment as he reminded himself that Sugoroku's pain was, again, an consequence of their coming to this forsaken place.

_Ra damn it! What in the name of Hetepes-Sekhus, is going on around here!_ Yami spun around to look at the two mummies wrapped around each other in death, and felt a cold chill run down his spine. It was the sight of the two mummies that had started Yugi's disappearance. Yami scowled at the husks of what once were two people.

"It isn't possible. Yugi cannot exist in that time if he exists here I would have remembered him…" Yami stated aloud hoping to keep the insanity at bay with reason. He had to keep calm, he had to remain strong, if he didn't, he would lose, and he couldn't do that. Not to Yugi, not again. "Besides, if he dies there… how is it possible for him to be here now? The shadow realm would have taken him. His innocence and light are too bright. Much too bright for the shadows to let him escape." Yami said in a tight voice, trying to tell his mind that of the two bodies in there, one was not his little light. That there had been some mistake.

"I hear ya there Yami, but, no offense and all, your memory ain't the best." Jonouchi stated. Perhaps it was meant to be light-hearted, but in the wake of what was happening it was nothing more than more pain.

He wanted to do something, move forward, fight, find Yugi and drag him back, but how was he to do that when he had no place to start? Yami cursed under his breath at his own inability.

_Why didn't I listen to him? Yugi didn't want to come here, I felt it… I knew his fear, and yet… I made him come…_

Yami's fist shook violently at his side, his mind plaguing him with memories of the small boy shivering against the wall as he sobbed, uncontrollable fear coursing through his body, a fear he could not explain, one that Yami should have understood.

"Somehow he knew…"

"The balance has been restored… it's equaling factor would have to have known."

Yami jerked around at the oddly familiar voice, eyes widening in shocked horror at the tall Egyptian man who stood holding the Millennium key and the scales of truth.

"Shadi." Yami growled out, finding an outlet for his rage and anger. Shadows curled up around his form, called by his hurt and lack of light. His shadow games would be far more deadly now then they had been before. After all, he now held the darkness of the world with in him, and Yami doubted that even Shadi could escape from that unharmed.

"Son of a bitch!" Jonouchi beat him to the man's side as he reached out and grabbed the dark Egyptian by the front of his garbs screaming into his face. "What the hell have you done to Yugi you bastard! Bring him back or so help me I'll—"

From behind him Yami could hear Sugoroku gasp in recognition. The professor had either passed out or his mind had simply shut down as the other made no more sounds what so ever, so Yami was uncertain if Yoshimori recognized the man who had turned him into a doll the last time. Either way, his reaction proved one thing, Yugi's disappearance, had not been planned.

"I have done nothing to the one known as Yugi. It was his fate that he start his mission this day." Jonouchi seemed less than pleased with Shadi's explanation and brought a fist back to strike, when Yami stepped in grabbing the taller boy's had.

"Yami!" Jonouchi snapped, and Yami knew the blond was most likely glaring at him, but pulled back his fist nonetheless.

"Stop it, Jonouchi, he's the only one with answers…" He could feel the tension in his friend's arm as the boy fought with himself before allowing his arm to drop with a snort.

"Damn it…"

Yami agreed with him but kept that notion to himself as he met Shadi's hardened stare. "Why is my Aibou's soul room no longer within me?" Yami questioned, standing taller, and putting his Pharaoh's will into his voice. Shadi almost seemed to smile at his reaction, and it only served to fuel Yami's anger. "Why is he not here?!"

Shadi seemed to regard his question for a long moment before responding, and when he did his voice rang with a deafening quality that made Yami's stomach twist and his eyes widen in shock. "His soul has returned to his origin. Therefore until he returns to this time, you are all that's left to preserve his body."

"What?" Yami whispered harshly, his heart dropping quickly as the man continued to speak, his fingers growing quickly numb.

"The soul room has been opened, Pharaoh. In order for balance to be kept, the light must return to set things in motion, in order for the world to survive." Shadi said in a grave tone of truth.

"Like that makes any sense, stop speaking in riddles you quack!" Jonouchi bellowed from where he stood next to Yugi's grandfather. "Right, Yami?"

There was a silent pause as Jonouchi turned to regard the Pharaoh, "Yami…?" His rising fear was evident in his voice, but Yami could not hear it, as all his color drained from his face, and a cold grasp of utter helplessness wrenched a hold of him, the panic welling up to consume him, all trendles of anger gone with the weight of reality.

_No… _

Crimson eyes turned to the mummies in fear, his heart slamming painfully into his ribs.

_Aibou…_

XXX

It was hot.

That was the first thing on his mind as Yugi continued to trudge through the sand dunes, his insides numb and cold as his feet dragged through the heavy sand. His feet felt as if they were swimming inside of his sneakers and he doubted very seriously that he would ever be able to wear his socks comfortably again after this.

He sighed, hunching his shoulder's higher in an attempt to disappear into the crowds of people around him, but it only seemed to make him stand out more. _Why? Usually my school uniform keeps me hidden… here its' like a neon yellow stripper sign…_ Yugi felt like crying.

Since he collapsed that morning, screaming and sobbing for well over an hour, waiting for his yami to realize his pain and come to his aid, the sun had risen, and, remembering what Yami said about deserts, Yugi had forced himself to his feet and stumbled in the direction the sun rose from. Yami had made mention that the Nile flowed from the pulse of the rising sun. Yugi had teased him then for his poetic speech, but now the memory gave him a solid hope. He wasn't sure that this place was even Egypt, but if he kept traveling that way at least he'd be going somewhere.

After the first three hours, a flicker of hope rose inside his chest when he realized that if he was there then Yami must also be somewhere near, and all he had to do was find him. It was a slim chance, with the fact that even though Yami could project a solid body of his own, it was difficult for him to sustain it far from the millennium puzzle, but still Yugi clung to that hope all the same.

When he'd first stumbled upon a group of people, Yugi had been extremely happy. Jumping a bit with an intense joy that finally he wasn't completely alone, he'd called out and moved toward them, only to at first realize that they had no clue what he was saying, and then once they saw him they paled and fell to their knees muttering so quickly that Yugi could hardly translate the scattered hieratic language. It was after realizing that they were speaking that ancient language that Yugi noticed the difference in their attire, and darkness of their skin. Yugi tried to get them to stand, but his mere presence seemed to terrify them, so he'd quickly left them in their white, dust clung, robes feeling as if he'd fallen back in time to before he'd assembled the puzzle.

Yugi sighed, as yet another crowd of people looked his way before whispering and bowing their heads low to avoid his eye contact. _What's wrong with me?! Haven't you seen a Japanese high schooler before?!_ At least, that's what he wanted to say, but he stayed quiet picking up the pace a bit.

He wasn't sure why all the people where acting so weird, or why they were rebuilding the pyramids—not to mention rebuilding them without the use of cranes and other technology—but he had no one to question about this kind of stuff so Yugi brushed it off as being some Arabic thing, considering how most of Egypt was now populated with the Arabians. _… So why are all these people still speaking Sekh shat?_ Yugi stopped in his movements to ponder that question, standing right in the middle of what appeared to be a very small and run down market place, with small venders, selling what appeared to be grain and meats, and some odds and ends. _Wait a minute… if their speaking Sekh Shat…and the Pyramids are being rebuilt… then that means—_Yugi's panic started to rise up harshly and he lifted startled hands toward his face.

A crash from behind startled Yugi from his thoughts and he jumped around, noticing a white clothed figure, standing with wide startled eyes.

Yugi blinked in concern, noticing the shattered pot that had spilt what appeared to have once been water, across the sandy ground. "Daijoubu ka?" Yugi questioned, before he could stop himself, and immediately smacked himself in the forehead for his slip up. _Shoot! I have to stop doing that…_ Glancing back up he noticed that the man seemed to be even more frightened of him than before. Yugi reached out a hand, moving toward the scared man who stumbled slightly over his own words, trying to recall how Yami had taught him to pronounce the words and stresses. "Are you all right?"

The man's native language seemed to snap him from his frozen state and he screamed turning and running from him, only two words clear in Yugi's ringing ears. "kkwy heba!"

Dark games.

Shadow games.

Yugi's amethyst widened in horror and he stepped back and away from the fleeing man, his heart thundering in his ears, like a morbid beat of a drum. _He knows… about the shadow games?! But how? And why would he think of them when seeing me? Yami's been dead for over 3,000 years… how could he… Unless, Yami's already here!_ Yugi turned around blinking, searching the faces of the crowd who surrounded him. They all quickly avoided his eyes. Determined, he called out to them, his voice wavering in his second language, "Have you seen him? Have you seen Yami?! Please, tell me, I need to find him!"

Not one of them answered him, and if he drew close to them at all, they dropped to their knees, bowing low. _What is going on! Why won't anyone help me!_ In his frustration, Yugi turned and bolted down the streets. His heart daring him to move as quickly as it beat.

His body was quickly overheating inside of his school uniform, but Yugi didn't much care, his mind humming with the agonized screams to his darkness, begging the other part of his soul to answer. _Yami! Yami, please! YAMI!!!_

Only the echo of the empty space where their link should have been responded, Yugi closed his eyes, pushing himself to move faster, and due to this, missed the girl who stepped out in front of him, and collided painfully into her, knocking her back onto her rump. The collision caused Yugi to spin and topple onto his side where he stayed for several minutes, shaking in his misery.

"Watch where you're running, Xrd! The guards do not take kindly to impudent little speed mice, running around near the pr-aA." The girl's voice was curt and slightly recognizable as she lectured him about being too close to the palace, but Yugi brushed that aside, instead rising to protect his bruised ego more out of instinct than spite. He sat up and spun to give the girl an angered pout, no longer surprised when she gasped, her face paling as a hand rose to her lips.

"I'm not a kid! I'm in high school!"

The girl seemed to choke on her words a moment before falling to her knees as well, bowing low and hiding her face, but it had only taken that small fraction of time for Yugi to recognize her.

"Anzu-chan?" Yugi whispered blinking in shock, his cheeks heating up in embarrassment. Though the girl looked slightly taller than his friend, and her hair was a deep black instead of brown, her skin tanned darkly from the sun, she looked defiantly like Anzu. Yugi felt tears in his eyes, and he moved forward, dropping to his knees to hug her tightly, ignoring the way the girl stiffened and shuddered in his embrace.

"Anzu-chan, anta desu! Yokatta! Ore wa kowai, sugoku kowai." Yugi spoke into her shoulder, telling her his joy at seeing her and the incapacitating fear that he'd felt. Still speaking in Japanese he gripped her shoulder's pulling back to meet her startled gaze as he continued to cry, "I can't feel Yami, Anzu-chan, I can't sense him! Gods, where are we? Where did he go? … and why are you dressed like this? New job?" Yugi asked finally noticing the slightly revealing silk cloth she wore in a toga stile skirt, and midriff showing top. Yugi blushed and looked away for a moment before meeting her eyes again.

Yugi gasped at her terrified gaze, and leaned closer to question her when she tensed and closed her eyes, speaking in hieratic, "I am sorry for my earlier words, and accept any punishment you see fit."

Yugi blinked. "Anzu-chan—" suddenly, the differences finally clicked in and Yugi sat back and away from the girl, once again speaking in her language. "You aren't Anzu, are you?"

"No, my name is Anuksu, pr-aA."

Yugi jumped, lifting his arms into the air in shock. _Pharaoh?! Did she just call me… but… there's no such thing as pharaoh's not since the last of the Roman empire fell and they lost their hold on Egypt…. But if she just said…_

Yugi's already pale skin, turned pasty as he asked in a low quiet voice. "Where are we?"

Anuksu, seemed startled by his question, and chanced a glance at him with her wide blue eyes, "In Kehmet, pr-aA. Where else would we be."

Yugi shook his head sharply and reached out grabbing her hand, to which she struggled briefly, "No, I mean what year!"

"… The second year of your rule, pr-aA." She said, starting to sound scared, and Yugi shook his head again in disbelief, the heat and exhaustion finally receding enough for his mind to function properly. _I'm back in ancient Egypt… and this girl thinks I'm the Pharaoh!_

Part of him knew that that was the answer, he just didn't want to deal with that fact, and the fuzziness of his mind had helped with that.

"pr-aA…?" The girl questioned, her posture bent low so as not to insult him with her petty questions. Yugi glanced down at her still in shock before realizing that if she continued to think him the Pharaoh, things could get ugly.

"Anuksu, I'm not the pr-aA, my name's Yugi… I'm from… far away…" Yugi said after a moment, telling her he came from the future was probably not the brightest thing to do, considering how if he really was back in ancient Egypt, they would not understand his concept time anyway. _The last thing I want is to be placed in an ancient loony-bin, some 3,000 years before I'm even born._

When the girl still hadn't looked up, Yugi knelt in front of her with a smile. "C'mon, do I really act like the Pharaoh? Do I even look like him?" Yugi asked motioning to his odd attire. Finally she looked up, but her eyes were still frightened.

"You wear the Millennium Puzzle, that only the Pharaoh can put together… and you do look… like him." Her words trailed off to a whisper and Yugi felt his heart still for a moment. _I look like him… and he had the Millennium Puzzle… it's Yami! Of course it would be him! Damn it, why didn't I think of it before! Yami was a pharaoh… and we were looking at his corpse so… we must be trapped in his past, right? His real past this time, not some false twisted memories concocted for a shadow game. _

"Yami's… Oh my god, you have to take me to the pr-aA! Please!" At his sudden begging, Anuksu seemed to straighten, either believing that he was not the Pharaoh, or that he was a complete nuts. "Please, I have to speak to him, it's important!" Yugi gripped the millennium puzzle tightly in his hand and Anuksu's eyes traveled down to his hand before meeting his eyes.

"I cannot."

"What? Why, Anuksu, you don't understand! I have to see him, it's a matter of life and death!"

The girl suddenly stood, towering over Yugi and, rolling her eyes, grabbed his hand, dragging him off in the direction she'd just come from. "Look, shorty, it will be a matter of life or death if I take you there. Now come on." Under her breath, Yugi thought he heard her mutter about being crazy, helping some child out of his own death, and glared slightly.

"I'm not a _Xrd_, I'm—"

"I know… a 'hi skooler', whatever in Ra's name that means. Now come along, before the guards find us. In case you didn't know, it's a crime to impersonate the Pharaoh, Little Yugi."

Yugi felt his cheeks heat with anger at her comment and looked to the ground feeling rather annoyed. _Great… she's like Anzu but with a real mean streak… with all my luck she'll like Yami better too… I just can't win._

With a sigh, he followed her allowing himself to be lead in between buildings and around a giant garden like area, Yugi could only assume to be a part of the palace, and then out into the street, and toward a small home.

It looked rather run down, but then again, compared to Domino everything looked that way. Yugi was hastily dragged inside of the little building and ungraciously dropped as the girl turned to shut the door tightly behind her.

"I don't think they saw us. But you never know…" Anuksu said under her breath before wiping her hands down the side of her skirt a moment before looking him in the eyes. "So… _where_ did you say you were from?"

Yugi jumped feeling his stomach plummet through the floor. Well, he was in a bind now wasn't he? _What do I tell her? The truth? Hell, I can't even believe that this is happening. I mean reliving a memory through a soul is one thing, but falling into the past just because you saw a mummy?_

Yugi swallowed hard when Anuksu began to tap her foot impatiently. "W-well, you see… it's like this… I'm from… Japan… a country across the ocean?" At Anuksu's blank look, Yugi continued quickly. Jonouchi had once said, that if you put enough detail into a lie, it becomes believable, so the same should be true for when explaining the unbelievable, right?

Wrong.

"… so you're from, far away."

Yugi felt like laughing and crying all at once. "Yeah… that about sums it up." He managed a smile, holding back the tears that wanted to fall down his face. He missed his grandfather, he missed Yami, he missed his friends, and he even missed school. But most of all, as sad as it was, Yugi missed his own language. _Is it so bad to want to hear someone talking to me, to miss hearing Grandpa speak to me? Telling me to study for an upcoming test?_

"Well, in any case, you couldn't possibly be any trouble to the pr-aA, being a Xrd and all…" Anuksu said flippantly as she strode over to another room in the small home, tossing aside a cloth that acted like a door, and stepping inside returning moments later with a bundle in her arms.

Yugi sat up and glared at her for her comment on his age, hoping he looked like Yami, but knowing he didn't all at once. Anuksu smiled warmly at him and tossed the bundle his way.

Yugi caught it before it hit the ground, looking up at her curiously. "What is this?" He asked, mixing the language with his own making one odd sounding sentence.

Anuksu seemed to ignore his blunder, obviously used to his oddity by now as she continued, her hands propped on her hips, eyes closed as she explained standing tall with authority, as if she had never been allowed to show it before. "You should change out of those weird clothes. They look uncomfortable and hot… plus you'll stand out too much if you continue to wear them."

Yugi blinked up at her in slight confusion and she pointed to the cream colored bundle in his arms, "You can wear that for now."

Yugi unraveled the mass of cloth and held it up to his face. His eyes narrowed after a second and he dropped the cloth into his lap with a pale-faced, glare.

"No."

Anuksu seemed taken aback by his words, and turned her curious gaze back to him . "What do you mean no? It's clothes, they belonged to my late brother, he was about your age when he died of a sickness. They should fit you."

Yugi shook, trying to ignore the hit against his age once more, as he turned his eyes to her in horror holding up the clothing once more.

"I will _not _wear a skirt!"

And that was final.

XXX

It was dark now. Dark and cold, and Yugi couldn't stop shaking from the chill that brushed over his flesh as he huddled under the light blanket Anuksu had supplied him with.

Moonlight spilled in through the window, and without glass it let in the cold breath of the night as well. Yugi looked up at the glimmering stars, tears in his eyes and on his face.

He couldn't sleep.

It was impossible to relax and forget that he was not only thousands of miles, but also thousands of _years _away from his family and friends, and now, he was cold, and afraid. _I want to go home, Yami… I want to sleep in my own bed, and duel against Jou and Honda in class… I want to see how badly I failed that history test! _

Yugi cried harder, a sudden childish need filling him with cold despair. _I want to see my Mother… _

Yugi curled tightly around the millennium puzzle his tears running over its golden surface to pool along his fingers. He kept his cries quiet not wanting to wake the sleeping girl, who seemed to live in this house all by herself, under the pretense that her father was ill and still alive, though he had passed away long ago like the rest of her family. Anuksu wouldn't expand much on that topic, and only mentioned that she worked in the Palace as a dancer. That had made Yugi smile, she truly was Anzu deep down inside, and that had brought him at least a small bit of peace.

He sniffled loudly, and quickly balled the blanket against his mouth to muffle the sounds. He was being consumed by the cold blackness of the room and his fear began to rise. He wanted to go to his soul room, to leave and enter Yami's but he feared that when he got there that Yami's door would not. It was that fear that held him in the darkness of the night. _I need someone… anyone… please…_

Yugi curled into himself shaking. The darkness reminding him of the shadow realm and the pain that lived there. Suddenly, his eyes opened in realization, and a bright hope burned in his chest._ The Dark Magician! He's my friend… yes, he'll defiantly come help me, right? He always has before! _

Closing his eyes Yugi reached into his pocket, the card placed on the top of his deck, brushing against his fingertips as he called the shadow monster to him. A swell of wind, and a ripple of dark smoke appeared at the foot of the blankets that made up Yugi's bed. The Shadow magic brushing faintly across its master breaking away as it touched his light. He was slightly amazed that it was even working, and Yugi smiled, closing his eyes incase it failed at the last moment.

Yugi could feel a tug on his soul and opened his eyes slowly when the wind died away. The dark Magician was kneeling before him, crouched low, staff held in his hand. Yugi could have cried with his joy, as the shadow card looked up at him with confused and startled eyes.

Yugi, not noticing the Dark Magician's odd behavior launched himself forward and into the shadow's arms. The fact that until that moment Yugi had been unsure if he could actually touch the shadow monster or not, not even registering in his mind. The shadow seemed just as stunned by the contact as he was to be there, and unconsciously returned the embrace.

"Dark Magician! You're really here!" Yugi cried needing to hear his own language even if it was he who said it, and buried his face into the taller man's purple cloak. "Yami won't answer me, and I can't get home, no one knows me… I was afraid that you… that you would not come, and that I'd be stuck here alone forever!" He cuddled closer, and the magician seemed to stiffen. Looking up, Yugi noticed his slightly scared expression as he looked over Yugi and himself. _That's funny… I don't remember the Dark Magician showing emotions before…_ Yugi shrugged the thought off just as quickly as it had come, rubbing at his face trying to get rid of his tears. _I need to stop… crying… it's not really helping me… and if I keep this up, Yami will lecture me._

"How?" The hieratic startled Yugi and he swallowed, ready to cry again, when Dark Magician then met his eyes, his voice softening before speaking to Yugi in the language he most desperately wished to hear. "Naze ka?"

Yugi smiled and scrubbed at his reddened cheeks once more his hands dropping to hold the millennium puzzle tightly as he tilted his head back toward his dear friend, never noticing the wide-eyed look he gave as his eyes dropped to Yugi's most precious treasure.

"Why what, Dark Magician?"

There was a long pause, at which Yugi opened his eyes to look at the stony face above him with concern. "Uh? Are you okay?"

The shadow smiled a bit, though it did not reach his eyes, but that did not scare Yugi in the least, being as the shadow was not known to show much emotion at all to begin with. "Nani demo nai, Hikari. Nani demo nai."

Yugi smiled in return, simply glad to hear those words, recognizable to him since his birth. He did not notice the odd look the Magician turned on him, the angered concern he gave toward his puzzle piece, nor the distrust he gave toward Yugi.

"Dark Magician, I need you to find Yami. Let him know I'm here. Please, I need you to help me find him, okay?"

The shadow monster blinked at him and then nodded his head slowly, his face more stoic than before, and somehow that eased Yugi's tension.

"Thank you, my friend." Yugi stated, a large yawn breaking his face suddenly. Seemed that with the loss of his fear and uselessness his exhaustion from earlier had caught up. With a shake of his head, Yugi curled back up under the sheets hardly noticing that the Dark Magician was still staring at him in a distrustful fasion.

Yugi was too far gone to care about that, as he slowly slipped away, into sleep, clinging to his only friend that he could find, unknowingly, allowing his enemy to find him easily. _Dark Magician… I knew you'd come… and now, I'm not alone any more… _

Yugi fell asleep.

XXX

The large room was slightly open to the cold wind that brushed in off of the desert, slipping into the room like a shadow, blending into the darkness that sat at each corner like an animal stalking its prey.

The shadows swelled up and around the giant bed, the silken sheets caressing the sleeping occupant like a second skin. The shadows would rise no further, held back by the sheer power the one asleep held over them.

Moonlight played over bronzed skin, glinting off of golden bangs and red-tipped ebony. He looked almost innocent while he slept, like a child, but his eyes held a different story altogether, speaking of pain and hardship, of tough choices, and heavy responsibility.

The eyes of a ruler.

The eyes of a god.

Another shadow crept across the room as silent as the others, nearly undetectable in the night, aside from the startling white robes that draped over his tall form, his hood covering his hair and adding a drastic contrast to the color of his skin.

The person approached the bed unafraid of those shadows that lurked so close to the sleeping man, dismissing the curling particles of smoke as easily as the sleeping man could.

As the shadows dissipated, lost to the realm from which they were bred, the man on the bed groaned rolling onto his back one arm falling over his eyes as if the moonlight was too bright for him.

"Mahado… this had better be good, or I will have to challenge you to a shadow game for waking me up…" The voice muttered, low enough to be considered a growl.

The priest, Mahado, only nodded once toward his young Pharaoh before the man on the bed raised his arm, allowing one blisteringly angry, crimson eye to glare at him .

"Well?"

"pr-aA, there is something I must tell you."

The man in bed seemed to roll his eyes a moment before sighing, his arms flopping back to cover them with a groan. "I know that, otherwise, I'd still be sleeping…"

"Atemu…" Mahado began, his voice sounding low and slightly off, and the tone made the young Pharaoh Atemu curious and had him tentatively listening, his arm drooping from his still closed eyes. "I was summoned… by another you. Another you that holds the millennium puzzle in his hands."

Atemu's eyes flew open.

(Ending Theme: "Night Flower")

_I'm wandering lost in the land of love;_

_please come find me._

_I hide my heart_

_that I thought I'd already wore the wings off of._

_The thousands of petals_

_which color my heart_

_make me yearn for you, almost sadly_

_Once more_

_Mirage that slips through my fingers_

_the moment I grasp it..._

_I want to steal away all of you._

_Brandishing a frozen knife,_

_love dances, scattering the night flowers_

_Love, comfort, let go - even my heart..._

_Feel it more intensely_

_If it's destiny,_

_then I don't need peace or warmth._

_Brandishing a frozen knife,_

_love dances, scattering the night flowers_

_Break, injure, seal it away - even my heart..._

_Love me more intensely_

**A.N. There's chapter 2. First off, A big thank you to Blood Moon, who told me about the language and translation. The translations are real! ^-^ And I'll list them and their meanings shortly. First off, my history is most likely WAY off in this and will continue to be so, but hopefully it won't be too bad. And if you do not understand the Japanese words used (which also will be grammatically incorrect ^-^;) just leave your e-mail address with a review or e-mail me and I'll translate it for you. Thanks again Blood Moon, credit for the Egyptian and corrections of my mistakes, goes to her. ^-^**

**Lechan**

**Translation:**

_**Sekh Shat**_**: the name of their language. AKA Hieratic (Spoken) and much later Demotic (Writing).**

_**Xrd**_**: Child**

_**Pr-aA**_**: Pharaoh and also used for palace. Pronounced per-ah.**


	4. Chapter 3

A.N. Okay, so I'm posting the old chapters one at a time with a few minor edits since I can't seem to finish with the large ones.

_**Chapter Three**_

The room was silent, cold, and dark. So very different from what it had once been, but not all that surprising considering how the cheery little light of a boy that usually resided within the small room, was no longer there.

Thus the feeling of cold-emptiness.

Yami sighed heavily, his crimson eyes roaming over the room slowly, trying to imagine Yugi doing the things he'd normally be doing. It was well past midnight, so in all honesty, Yami knew that Yugi would already be in bed. Curled up comfortably asleep, his small hand cupped delicately by his face, his features lax with sleep, his form so innocent, so pure, that it would make him want to kill any who would dare to cause harm to the small child.

_But not tonight…no. Instead Yugi is trapped in my memories… and there's not a damn thing I can do about it!_ Yami's fist clenched tightly by his side his eyes narrow with displeasure. _…and I don't even remember it!_

Yami threw his arm harshly into the pillow at his side, choking back his angered scream, his pent up rage, and the unbearable uselessness clawing to break free from his chest.

There was nothing! _Nothing _that he could do except to wait. To enter into his own past would leave Yugi's body without a soul. When the body no longer held a soul it would die, and if that happened, Yugi's spirit would have no place to return to once his time in the past had finished.

Not to mention, that if he left, the terms of his return from the afterlife would be compromised, and his soul would be then taken back to the afterlife for good. Returning before his full resurrection was completed was something Yami did not look forward too.

_I never had the chance… to tell him._ Yami felt a hot sting in his eyes and snarled at his own weakness. He'd made a deal with the gods just before his memories had been recovered. If they let him stay with Yugi he would devote the rest of this new life to keeping the Shadow Realm under control. Of course he'd had no verbal answer from the gods, but when his memories returned, and he was still around Yami assumed that the gods had answered his prayers. Now, he wasn't so certain.

Yami had not brought that issue up with Yugi, not wishing for the boy to go through anymore then what he already had, not wanting to startle or worry the small, gentle light. That was his reason for wanting to back out of the final "game". Win or lose, Yugi would have paid the final price. Unable to accept that fact, Yami had run from his fate, and now, his Aibou was suffering again.

_I should have left… with Bakura and Marik… we all should have left…_

Yami stood from the bed, once again angry with himself, and trudged over to the dresser across the room. A lot of things littered the top of the wooden furniture. A few broken toys, a Yo-Yo, the god cards (safely sealed inside the old Puzzle box) and a lone picture frame with a photo of the group together.

Yugi was in the middle of said picture, his arm looped around Yami's waist as he gave the peace sign with his free hand. Jonouchi was leaning on Yugi's head grinning madly, Honda just to the right, with Anzu on the left. Behind them was Malik and Ryo, both of whom looked rather nervous what with their darker halves standing in a solid form just behind them, obviously arguing. Seto and Mokuba held up the end, Seto looking like he'd just swallowed a dung beetle, and Mokuba looking like he'd just won a million dollars.

Yami smiled lightly, reminded of the day that photo had been taken. It had been only a month after his "deal" with the gods, and nearly a week after he discovered that he could take on a solid form outside of Yugi's body for short periods of time. It was very tiring, taking on a solid form, which explained why the psycho and the thief had not tried to do so earlier, and Yami found he didn't like doing it much, but it was a plus to be able to touch his Aibou outside of their soul rooms.

_Though now, I don't think any of that matters any more…_

Yami's fingers slid from the frozen image of his light, as he looked out around the room with sullen eyes. Was this all his doing? By not passing on, by not leaving Yugi, not sealing the shadow realm, did he force the gods to take Yugi's soul from the world? Was that his price? His life for Yugi's?

Yami gritted his teeth, burning anger filling him. Yami cursed in hieratic, wishing that he could destroy something, his entire body shaking with the need to strike out, hurt, demolish.

Yami sunk to the floor, leaning back and against the dresser with a groan. He could no longer hear Sugoroku moving around downstairs, indicating that the elderly man had finally retired to his room for the night.

_I am so sorry, Motou-san… it's all my fault…_

Deep silence drifted over the area, and as he sat there, eyes looking around the room he'd never bothered to look at before, Yami discovered something, not new, simply unnoticed.

The empty room echoed with Yugi's presence. It was almost tangible as though he could see his aibou doing odd things around this very room. Standing beside the open drawer that held his socks, decorated with different symbols, the messy bed Yugi hadn't bothered to make that morning, the blackened mark on the ceiling that Yami had made when they had played a duel monsters game for fun and his shadow magic accidentally scarred the roof. All of those things, memories, reminders that Yugi was alive that he lived there, made the room feel even more empty than before, and left Yami with a heavy regret.

"Aibou… why have you gone?"

Yami lifted a hand to touch his Millennium Puzzle, hoping that within it he'd feel the glimmer of his light's presence, but it was cold and lifeless when his fingertips brushed its surface.

Just as Yami was going to give up and go back to sleep, a sudden pulse echoed from the golden ornament around his neck.

Yami gasped as flash of memory blinded him momentarily to the empty room, and he stuck a hand to his head, leaning heavily on his free arm.

"What is… going…"

_The room was heated and tense, lust and passion coated the air as the two bodies shifted together, rubbing, feeling, loving. Grunts and breathless moans escaped the parted lips of the two lovers entangled in the sheets._

_Yami was on fire, as his lips caressed the fragile body beneath his own, tasting the skin and sweat that the smaller body gave. A breathless moan was his reward, as his tongue laved over the boy's collar bone, his teeth nipping at the skin lustfully, pressing his lower hips into the soft, tight, heat below him. _

_He hissed in joy as the one beneath him cried out, arching up and allowing Yami to sink deeper into his body. "Yess…" He groaned, hands pulling the boy's hips down sinking deeper yet, into the thrashing body of the shivering, and shaking boy. Yami rolled his hips, loving the way the other's body tensed, squeezing him tighter, and Yami ran his hands up the sides, brushing over his sweat laden skin._

_"Ah!... Y… Yami!" The boy breathed, and he chuckled at the pet name, sinking low to rub his body against the shivering light under him, feeling himself pull out slightly from the boy's opening and moaned at the sensation as the boy arched once more, panting and crying out. He was so sensitive, it made Yami shiver in pure lust, wanting the boy writhing in pleasure under him until they both came. _

_He gazed down at the pale face, golden bangs clinging to flushed rounded cheeks, the child's arms sprawled up by his face, now pinned by Yami's hands, and his eyes tightly shut. He smiled and lay a gentle yet hungry kiss to his love's tender lips, biting on the lower lip as he pulled away, drawing the boy's attention to him. "akhu… look at me… akhu." _

_Slowly, amethyst eyes opened, glazed with passion, and Yami sighed in bliss arching himself deeper into the boy, watching as the boy's head pressed back baring his throat as the boy cried out for him, because of him._

_Yami kissed at the exposed skin, licking and nipping his way across the child's flesh, feeling the delicate tremors that overtook his body. When he reached his ear, Yami slipped out of the boy, until only his tip remained buried, and the boy whimpered slightly._

_Yami chuckled, "Do you want something, ari akhu?" The boy nodded his head frantically, arching, trying to draw Yami back within his body, but he simply backed away a bit, until the boy was crying out for his touch. "How do you ask for something," Yami asked kissing the boy's neck sensually, receiving a desperate kiss in return from his small lover. _

_"Please… onegai… antyw pr-aA!" _

_Yami grinned, a deep heat spreading through his insides at the pleading note in the boy's voice, and he nipped the lobe of the boy's ear lovingly. "Yes, antyw akhu…" And he slid back into the tight opening with a sharp thrust, grunting at the pleasurable feelings, feeling the boy cry out his name in ecstasy. He pulled out and thrust back in creating a desperate friction that pulsed through his body and echoed on the air from the oh so sensitive boy. _

_Mind hazy with need, he gripped the boy's erection awkwardly from between them, the boy's legs propped over his arms, and stroked it in time with his thrusts. The boys was screaming now, loud and unrestrained, and Yami nuzzled the underside of the boy's chin with his face and purred as he increased his tempo, pulling and pushing wit in the pliable body._

_"biAw… akhu… ntk nt wi!" He cried out, shoving into his light harshly, possessively as he came, the boy's own release following shortly after._

_"Atemu!" _

_The pharaoh lay upon his love, still buried deeply, and smiled, kissing the little one's shoulder affectionately, propped up on his elbows, as the smaller one still fought to catch his breath. _

"_biAw… biAw." _

Yami gasped, leaning against the dresser, eyes wide with a deep sense of fear, his heart thundering inside of his chest. "Yugi…"

_No… it… no…_

He shook desperately inside, recalling Yugi's desperation and fear over his dream, his denial of the thoughts, his feelings of fear and loss. "No, I won't! I would never…" Yami suddenly felt sick to his stomach, knowing that the memory was true, that he would indeed take Yugi, with or without the boy's agreement. "… because, I will not know him… and I do… I… want him."

Yami swallowed back bile, as he rushed toward the bathroom suddenly very sick, as new memories began to take shape in his mind.

_Aibou…_

XXX

The desert wind blew into the open room, moving the gossamer curtains to billow up, like giant spirits, and wispy ghosts. The darkened room was lit by a single candle that outlined the faces of the two men that occupied it. Firelight flickering off of crimson and brown eyes.

"A Xrd that looks like me, but not like me?" Atemu asked his eyes narrowed in confusion as he stared up at his most trusted priest—aside from his cousin Seth. Mahado, nodded slightly, his face a near perfect mask of indifference, though in his eyes Atemu could see his confusion and slight fear. "Mahado, please explain, this doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. How can one be like me but not like me, and how can he have the millennium puzzle if it is here with me now?" Atemu asked, slightly annoyed.

Mahado seemed not the least bit concerned about his pharaoh's annoyance, knowing full well that Atemu would cause no harm to him and only said so in jest. It eased Atemu to know that at least one person was not fearful of him, and treated him as a person.

One would think, after being raised as a god, being told that he was above all else aside from the gods themselves, that he would punish any who dared to treat him as mortal, but for Atemu, he knew that he was but a god made flesh, very mortal indeed, and just as his people, he was a person, and he needed friends, ones who did not fear him or his power.

"I don't know how to explain this, pr-aA. All I know is that I awoke from my sleep to find myself dressed in strange robes, standing before a small child with innocent eyes, and skin as pale as moonlight."

"Strange robes, Mahado?" Atemu repeated, and the priest nodded his head once.

"It was as if I had become a shadow monster. Dressed in deep purple robes with a staff. And the boy called me… Dark Magician."

Atemu, made a face, crossing one arm over his chest, and bringing the other to his chin in thought, an odd sense of dread filling his body.

_A shadow monster… a boy who can summon the beasts from the shadow land, could be dangerous._

"Was there any evidence of shadow magic being performed?" His eyes still stared into an unseen spot on the opposite wall.

"Yes, pr-aA, a strong sense of it. One as powerful as yours I dare say. Which was why I thought it was you at first, until I noticed the bedding in which the child sat. He was a commoner, in strange attire."

Atemu was looking up at his white priest now with a stern and nearly frightened look. One as powerful as himself loose among his people? That was a dangerous situation, one he did not like at all. Especially not when his Khemt was expecting a visit from the Roman empire, a nation Atemu detested as much as the tomb robber, Bakura.

"And you are certain that he had the millennium puzzle?" Atemu asked, dreading the answer.

"Yes, Atemu. I'm afraid that it could be no other. Though, his did appeared to be worn and old looking, tarnished slightly." Mahado said, while meeting his pharaoh's eyes with a steady look, daring to call his god by name as well as hold his gaze.

Atemu shared the look a moment longer before turning away with a heavy sigh. The never ending trials and worries for his kingdom seemed to grow larger with each passing day. Atemu had the feeling that by the time he was finally allowed into the afterlife he'd simply die of happiness, finally able to rest for eternity. Oh yes, the afterlife was looking extremely appealing to him, and it was only his second year as ruler of upper and lower Kehmet.

"Mahado," Atemu began, his voice sounding firm and tired. "I want you to take my guards out tomorrow and find this Xrd. I want him brought to me immediately."

Mahado bowed low with a, "It will be done, pr-aA," and stood to leave when Atemu called him back. The man froze at his door and turned back to face the young pharaoh with a steady stare. "Yes, Atemu?" Mahado asked, dropping the honorific title at the look in Atemu's eyes.

There was a moment's pause as the wind brushed in through the window singing the desert's melody gently before it was interrupted by Atemu's question. "… Do you feel that he is dangerous?"

Another pause.

…and then, "No. But, I do not know him, Atemu."

The pharaoh nodded, his worries only barely repressed as he turned his burning crimson eyes to the window watching his thin curtains billow and dance lazily in the wind.

"You should sleep, Atemu, I regret that I interrupted your rest before." Mahado said, worriedly, and Atemu smiled amused.

"Sure, now you're sorry." Atemu rolled his eyes and stood moving to his window to look out over his land, the silver light of the moon ghosting over the sands of the desert beyond his city. The Nile glowing brightly as it fed the green growth on the edges of the river, now a bluish tinge in the fading night. "It's fine Mahado, thank you for waking me, I needed to know of this before it became an issue."

His friend seemed unhappy with his response and tried again to coax Atemu back into the comfort of his silk sheets. "Atemu, you really should rest, tomorrow—"

"Can wait. Besides, my friend, I cannot sleep. Not now."

A heavy sigh of regret was his only response, as his priest finally left him to his solitude. Atemu sighed looking up at the stars, wishing that his father had not passed away so swiftly, leaving him with Kehmet, and now this new threat, as well as the impending doom from Rome.

"Father, what does this mean?" Atemu closed his eyes leaning on the railing that was provided on his balcony, bowing his head wishing that he knew the answer to the questions his father would never reply to. After all, the living and the dead could no longer communicate.

Whether you where a god or not.

XXX

Warm sunlight brushed against his face as the chill breath of spring air passed by, cooling his skin and moving his bangs. Yugi was aware of the redness behind his closed eyes, dark splotches revealing the dappled light from the sakura tree that he rested underneath, and he breathed in deeply, reveling in the soft gentle scent that was the Sakura blossom.

Distantly he was aware of his friend's laughter and cries of excitement as they all played in the falling blossoms enjoying the Festival of the Sakura trees. It was amazing how normal everything was, after all the hardships, the countless battles and time travel, finally it was all over, and everything had settled back to the way it had been before except so much brighter.

Yugi smiled, relaxing, intending to allow sleep to take him away again when a soft stroke to his cheek forced is eyes to open. He met crimson and smiled at the tanned face above his own.

"Morning, Yami." Yugi yawned, and the solid spirit chuckled, pushing Yugi's bangs from his eyes.

"Afternoon, Aibou." Yami corrected, lightly teasing Yugi for his late nap. Yugi joined in the laughter simply enjoying his closeness with his dark. His head snuggled into the other's lap as they sat beneath the Sakura tree, tired from their earlier activities. "Did you sleep well, Aibou?"

"Aa, I did. But I had a strange dream."

"What was it about?" Yami asked, sounding concerned and Yugi looked away trying to recall it, but it flickered just past his reach, and his mind gently told him not to search for it.

"I… don't remember… I just know, that it was very sad." Yugi replied meeting his dark's stare and his other smiled gently, turning to watch their friends.

"Well then, it must not be important, if you can't remember it."

Yugi nodded in slight agreement, though feeling a bit ignored, but that was quickly mended when Yami poked him in the side making him squirm, and when Yugi looked up at his dark, he found the once pharaoh winking at him playfully, "Besides, Aibou, it's just a dream. It cannot hurt you."

Yugi grinned, suddenly feeling much better, "You're right Yami. Thank you." Yugi grinned and felt Yami smile as well.

"But Aibou, as happy that I am that you're feeling better, I still need you to do something."

Yugi blinked in confusion. "What is that Yami?"

"Move! I can't feel my legs anymore." Yami cried in a teasing voice and Yugi sat up apologizing before noticing the playful glint in his shadows eyes.

"Wait! Are you implying that I am fat?"

"Oh, no Aibou, only your head." Yami moved out of the way as Yugi made to hit him and dashed away as Yugi made chase.

"Take that back Yami!" Yugi cried out laughing as he followed his darkness through the woods. It barely registered in his mind that the woods seemed much too large to be apart of the park, his mind telling him not to think of it.

"Yami!" Yugi cried out when the other seemed to move farther and farther away from him, as if he was disappearing. A very deep fear pulsed through him and Yugi cried out trying to move faster, as the light vanished and Yugi was left chasing Yami into the blackness of nothing. Terrified eyes watching in horror as his other half drifted farther and farther away from him. "Yami, matte!"

The darkness consumed Yami's figure and left Yugi crying out, his arms outstretched and pleading. "Yami!" He tripped in the darkness falling to the floor, tumbling down, down, down.

When Yugi opened his eyes he found himself laying on his back on soft darkness, deep crimson eyes staring at him with hungry intent. Yugi gasped as the being pressed closer to him, burning his skin with his body.

"ntk nt wi… akhu biAw." The voice whispered into his ear and Yugi jumped, his heart thundering in his ears.

"No! n-No Yami, wait no… don't—" Lips crashed against his, and Yugi cried out as he was burned from the inside at the man's touch, Yami's claim to owning him ringing in his ears.

"_You belong to me…" _

It was the soft touch of cold shadow magic that woke Yugi from his deep sleep. Opening bleary eyes, Yugi was glad to see that he was no longer pinned beneath his darkness, but was confused as to where he was.

"Yami?" Yugi asked rubbing at his eyes as he sat up, aware that he was still in his clothes from school and made a face wondering why Yami hadn't changed him when he was asleep like he usually did when Yugi fell asleep in them. That is, he wondered it until the cold silence from his link reminded him of where he was and he shivered, feeling more tears rise to his eyes. _I'm still trapped in ancient Egypt…_

"Master?" The voice startled Yugi and he turned to face the Dark Magician, eyes wide a moment, before relaxing with a sigh.

"What's wrong, magician?"

The Dark Magician, shook the question off with a movement of his head and Yugi tilted his own in question, wondering why the dark magician would come to him while he was sleeping. _Unless he never left and woke me feeling my distress._

Yugi was about to ask that when the shadow monster beat him to it. "How is it that you can summon me?"

That spun him. Yugi blinked unsure how to answer that. _Well, I pull a card and call you out… like always. Though Yami is usually the only one who can call the real you, not just an image displayed by the holographic game of Duel Monsters. But… shouldn't he know that?_

The dark Magician seemed serious about his question so Yugi pulled out his cards showing them to the Dark Magician. "These of course."

The Shadow Monster seemed taken aback by the cards and reached out as if to touch them, but drew away at the last moment. Yugi smiled, reaching out and placing them in The Dark Magician's grasp.

He seemed startled by Yugi's action, and watched him carefully before flipping through them slowly. Eyes showing more concern as each second passed until he was holding his own card, his face now a pasty white.

"Dark Magician, are you okay?" Concern for the other evident in his voice. Dark Magician looked up at met Yugi's eyes with a hard stare, one that Yugi had become accustomed to when dealing with the duel monster.

"So, you _are_ my master then." His voice sounded clipped, and slightly angered, and Yugi blinked a bit, before laughing slightly. The dark Magician looked startled at Yugi's sudden humor and his expression forced more giggles from him.

"What is so funny?" The dark Magician asked indignantly and Yugi sat up rubbing at his eyes, quieting, when he remembered Anuksu was just outside of his "room".

"You. Master? Are you kidding? It's me, Yugi, you're my friend, dark Magician, not my servant. Unless…" Suddenly, Yugi felt rather vulnerable and looked at his hands that rested I his lap. "… you don't want to be my friend."

Mahado blinked his eyes, looking at the small boy who was currently cowering under him, fear that he would not return his friendship holding the boy powerless. _How is this possible? That he can hold, and wield such power and not notice it?_

"Dark Magician?" The boy asked pityingly and Mahado felt his heart go out to the small boy and he reached out to embrace him, knowing what would calm the child's fears. "Gomen Nasai."

He didn't know how he knew the language, or even how he knew that it would calm the child, hell, he couldn't explain how he'd even managed to return to the boys side, he simply did, and as he'd suspected, the boy calmed, holding him tightly, whimpering out his fears and hurts to him.

Mahado wrapped his arms securely around the child as his crying continued, sounding soulfully broken and wounded and it pulled painfully on Mahado's heart to hear him. _He is an innocent, with the powers of darkness… what can this mean?_

"I'm sorry, Dark Magician, I just… can't stop… crying. Everything just keeps happening and… and… I'm just so lost!" Yugi clutched at his robes and sobbed harder, coughing and choking on his fears, and Mahado quickly began to run his hand over the small one's back, attempting to sooth him before he could cause harm to himself, or make himself sick.

"Hush, it's all right, Yugi. I'm here and things are going to be fine, all right? Now, you are not normally this weak, right?" Mahado asked, hoping that he came off sounding normal. He knew nothing of the child, aside from the fact that he was infinitely pure and innocent, and that he knew simply from the way his shadow magic sizzled awkwardly as he held the small boy, proof of a clean and bright soul. _Yet… he carries the millennium puzzle… _

"You're right, I shouldn't be acting this way, when Yami's counting on me to find him." Yugi pulled from the embrace rubbing at the last of his tears and swallowing back a sniffle, presenting Mahado with a bright smile.

The priest was taken aback by the carefree expression, and almost had to look away from the boy, but blinked away his startlement to nod toward the boy, not really understanding him, but he'd come only to see if Yugi was a threat or not, and of course he had no idea how he'd even found himself back with the boy. He had merely closed his eyes wishing he knew more about his pharaoh's double and the next thing he knew he was standing over the sleeping boy as he thrashed around in the throws of a nightmare.

Yugi had been so different, yet so much like Atemu, that Mahado couldn't help but reach out and touch the sleeping figure to make sure that he was real.

And then Yugi had opened his eyes.

"Thank you, Dark Magician, you're the best." Yugi said with a grateful smile, looking strong and brave in Mahado's eyes, and he felt rather sick with himself for what was to come of him the following morning if he left the security of his home.

"There is no need to thank me… Yugi. Really."

Yugi yawned, rubbing his eyes sleepily and Mahado smiled, reminded of his Pharaoh when Atemu had been small, and he reached over tucking Yugi in before he'd even thought of his actions. _What am I doing? I'm acting like… like a woman._

Yugi giggled sleepily at him snuggling into his blankets, flashing him a wide smile. "You and Yami both take such good care of me… like Mom." Mahado had to stop himself from rolling his eyes at the comment and stood to leave when the last of Yugi's words drifted to his ears, "I guess that's why… you're… Yami's… guardian… thank you… Mahado… for… everything…" Soft snoring took over as Yugi slipped back into a deep sleep, as Mahado turned wide startled eyes to Yugi fearfully. _He knows… who I am?_

Mahado turned to stare at Yugi, watching as the boy's chest rose and fell as he breathed, his cheeks tinged pink from his earlier tears, and slowly, Mahado backed away.

Atemu was right.

They needed to know more about the boy, but they need not be so drastic with how they do things. Too much of a shock might seriously wound the boy mentally or emotionally. _No, I'll have to talk to Atemu tomorrow, before he sends out his men. Something's not right with this…_

With that, Mahado turned around, closing his eyes and in a flicker of shadows, he was gone.

"It's fricken' hot, Anuksu!" Yugi whined piteously at the two stood in front of a vender in the middle of the town. The sun blared down from the sky, like a furnace, slowly cooking the sweltering Yugi who was currently wrapped up in some thick, brown sack-like cloak that covered his hair and most of his body from view, and actually made him invisible in the crowds, it which, Yugi was grateful, but it was really _hot_!

The Egyptian girl simply shrugged shoving yet another item into his arms making him slouch further, and causing more heat to well up inside of his clothes at the movement. "Anuksu… I'm dying! I'm cooking like a Christmas turkey!" Yugi wined as the girl continued to ignore him cheerfully telling yet another vender what she needed and bargaining with them for a lower price. Yugi had seen that kind of behavior from Anzu once when she'd asked him along on a shopping trip (one that ended with her hoping that Yami would show up, and recklessly running into the danger that appeared just so that Yami could save her. Which of course, he did.

As the men of his time had done, the Egyptian vender, softened under her large blue eyes and sold her the silver golden dancing bells at half price, and Yugi rolled his eyes as he was once again dragged off and through the crowded people, his packages nearly blocking his view.

"Anuksu!" Yugi tried to get her attention, and felt the girl tug on his arm harshly nearly knocking Yugi off of his feet as he attempted to balance his own weight as well as those of the several items he carried. _How is it that one girl can buy so much in such an era?_ Yugi wondered briefly as he regained his footing only to get a face full of annoyed Anuksu.

Yugi swallowed stepping back slightly, eyes as big and wide as they could get. "A… Anuksu—"

"Look, stop complaining! You're the one who refused to get out of those weird clothes and wear something normal. So just stop acting like a child."

Yugi sighed, quieting. How was he supposed to explain to her that where he came from it was the worse kind of humiliation to wear a skirt, especially for someone of his small and, already considered, feminine stature. Her original idea to hide his hair (after several scrubbing sessions had finally convinced her that Yugi's hair was natural), placing it in a turban simply didn't work when Yugi refused to wear the rest of the clothing, and Yugi was even more adamant about her cutting his hair, then he was about the skirt, that left him with the cloak. _Besides, my school uniform is all I have left from home. It feels like its my last connection… if I lose that…_

Yugi caught a blur of color as Anuksu jerked him harshly to the left, and felt his foot twist slowly, his balance now compromised.

"A—Anuksu… wait, you're going too—" Yugi cried out as he tripped sending all of the girl's stuff to the floor, and causing his hood to flip back and allowing his hair free from the cloak.

"Yugi!" The girl cried from above him and Yugi cringed while sitting up rubbing the dirt from his cheeks, before noticing the disrepair of some of her more fragile purchases, such as a small scrap of Egyptian silk, that seemed to be fairly cheep compared to the prices of the twenty-first century.

"I'm so sorry, Anuksu!" Yugi cried scurrying to pick up the cloth and scattered food that they had purchased, unaware of the startled gasps and the quickly bowing people as Yugi quickly stood up trying to dust off the garment in his arms, pouting lightly, as he fretted over the cloth.

He heard Anuksu gasp and cringed again. "I'm really sorry Anuksu, I didn't mean to… honestly… I'll… I'll try to fix it. I can—"

"Yugi…"

Yugi looked up at Anuksu's frightened tone, and met her wide eyes as she stared at him pointedly, before looking down at his chest. Yugi tilted his head confused, shifting to hold the cloth to him only then realizing that the crowd was now lowered to the ground at his feet. _Again? But I'm hidden today under this stupid…_

The cool lick of a breeze made Yugi freeze as he felt his hair dance in the wind, finally aware that his cover was no longer over him. Amethyst eyes widened as he looked down worriedly, catching sight of the Puzzle shining for all its glory out in the open. _Damn it!_

Yugi gasped dropping the bundle in his arms, carelessly, as he quickly tried to cover and hide his precious treasure and put his hood back over his face before they caused anymore trouble. He had just covered his head, when he saw Anuksu pale and shrink away diminutively, so unlike the brash and head strong girl he'd seen only moments before.

"Anuk—" Yugi was cut short as a large hand gripped him harshly by the shoulder and spun him around harshly causing Yugi to trip once more, crashing into the ground, this time with his arm held above his head at an odd angle in a tight grip.

His heart pounded in his ears loudly and Yugi looked up fearfully, his body automatically preparing for a beating, for the bullies fists and kicks. Yugi looked up fearfully, feeling the lack of his hood and audibly gasped when he met the cold, enraged stare of none other than Jonouchi, though his skin was darker, near bronze, and his hair looked as though it had once been a darker shade but years in the sun had bleached it gold.

"Jo… Jonouchi-kun?" Yugi squeaked out, a choking bubble of sadness welling up when his friend gave him a disgusted look and struck him harshly across his face knocking him to the ground in a painful heap.

"Do not show such disrespect you imposter! You are lower then a slave, you have no right to look at me, nor speak!" Jonouchi's voice was hard and clipped, so very different than what Yugi knew to be his friend's voice.

The taste of iron filled Yugi's mouth as he raised himself up on shaky arms, one hand raising to his mouth, feeling the thick liquid slipped past his lips and over his chin dripping off thickly. Yugi shook in a state of mild shock. _Jonouchi… Jonouchi just… he just…_

Yugi bit back a cry as tears of denial and bitter betrayal glittered in his eyes. As much as he knew the man was not Jonouchi, but perhaps a past incarnation of sorts, it still hurt far worse to be hit by his best friend, his first friend aside from Anzu.

"For impersonating the pr-aA… You will die." The words cut through Yugi's hazed mind filled with pain, and he flung around meeting the steal tipped eyes of his friend as he moved forward grabbing Yugi by his hair and yanking him painfully to his feet.

"Ah!" Yugi cried out, his smaller hands lifting to the offending hand that threatened to tear the chunk of hair straight from his skull. The tears leaked from his eyes now, unbidden and Yugi's eyes flung desperately around the faces that surrounded him. Anuksu's eyes were glazed with guilt and sadness as she watched him leave ad Yugi cried out again earning a sharp jerk from Jonouchi's doppelganger. _Wake up! I have to wake up now! This is all a nightmare! Please god, let this be a nightmare. Please god, Please!_

Harsh tears tracked down his cheeks drying quickly as his prayers where unanswered as they had always been before Yami had appeared. A sort of numbness took over his body as Yugi struggled slightly. It was just like before, his every wish that the bullies where not real, that the knife that cut into his arm was just a scary dream, that the bruises were what he'd gotten while playing with the other boys at school, and not from fists and feet.

No, this was just the same. Yami was not there, and so, his nightmare would continue. As the palace grew ever closer, Yugi realized that he was silently crying, and that he had already been wondering how painful death would be. _I should deny the accusation… prove that this is my natural hair… but they'd never believe me… they'll kill me anyway… yami… Yami where are you, please, help me… please._

Yugi felt eyes on him and looked in the direction, lost and defeated, and met terrified brown. The eyes eerily familiar, set on a sharp face full of worry. Yugi blinked sadly at him, wondering if the man even knew who he was, or if he was yet another who thought of him as the Pharaoh. Yugi felt his lower lip tremble and he turned from the eyes as fresh tears fell over his cheeks, fear consuming his last rational thought, that he knew that man from Yami's past, that that man, would know him the best. _I don't want to die… Yami… Yami…_

_YAMI!_

(Ending Theme: "Night Flower")

_ai no kuni wo samayou_

_watashi wo mitsuke dashite_

_tsubasa ni wa mada_

_surikireta hazu no kokoro kakushite_

_watashi no mune wo someta_

_ikusen no hanabira wa_

_kanashii kurai anata wo koishiku saseru_

_mou ichido_

_sugaritsuku shunkan_

_surinukeru maboroshi_

_anata no subete wo ubai saritai_

_itetsuita NAIFU kazashi_

_ai wa mau yoru no hana wo chirashite_

_aishite, iyasarete, tokihanatsu - kokoro sae..._

_motto hageshiku kanjite_

_sadame nara_

_yasuragi mo, nukumori mo iranai_

_itetsuita NAIFU kazashi_

_ai wa mau yoru no hana wo chirashite_

_kowashite, kizutsukete, tojikomete - kokoro sae..._

_motto hageshiku aishite_

A.N. Well, there is chapter 3. Yeah I know, still no good Yami x Yugi, or as things would have it Atemu x Yugi. ^-^ But don't worry they meet in the next chapter. What do you think will happen?

Anyway, please review, I do love them so, and I check them everyday. ^-^ Here are the translations for this chapter:

akhu: Light

ari akhu: Partner light. (ari= Aibou… basically)

antyw pr-aA: My Pharaoh

antyw akhu: My Light

biAw… akhu… ntk nt wi: Mine… light… You belong to me.

biAw: Mine

ntk nt wi… akhu biAw: You belong to me… light mine.

All right, that about does it for this chapter. Let me know what you think and please remember to review. ^-^ I tend to write faster that way. ^-^

Lechan


	5. Chapter 4

**A.N. Okay so I realized I have not been able to go through and edit this in a timely manner so here are the chapters, I'm just going to skim them to make sure they read right.**

_**Chapter Four**_

_ The rain poured down harshly, cold and mocking, reminding him of his sins and useless existence. He couldn't move at all, but that was fine by him, he didn't want to, not after everything that had happened. _I'm sorry… so sorry… Yugi…

_ He cringed, wincing, as the movement pulled painfully on bruised and taizered flesh. It was his fault that this had happened. His fault that the only person he'd ever known to be honestly innocent, was beaten, in front of him, and he did nothing. He was the only person who believed he was worth something, and now the boy probably hated him. _It's just what I deserve. My punishment, I didn't deserve his kindness to begin with… I stole the puzzle piece from him, and… doubted him first…

_ The rain fell harder pulling him more deeply into his own pain, the image of Yugi's face, glazed with pain, blood smearing his cheek, the expression slightly hurt and betrayed, eerily familiar. He tried to shake the image, pleading the shadow of his friend to forgive him for his transgressions, but of course it would never happen._

_ Wet sneakers on puddles pulled his bleary mind back to consciousness as warm hands pulled him up slightly, cradling his head. Small arms held him comfortingly as the owner of those arms pleaded him to open his eyes._

_ "Jonouchi-kun! Jonouchi-kun, please, open your eyes." _

_ The familiar voice pulled at him to open his eyes, and disbelievingly Jonouchi opened them to stare up and into the last face he expected to see._

_ "…" Jonouchi felt his eyes widen as he looked up and into concerned and forgiving amethyst. _Yugi…_ He still believed in him, after everything he'd done, and from the scrapes and bruises on his friend's bloodied face, he'd gone through hell to save him._

_Again._

_ "Jonouchi-kun, you're all right! Thank god!" Yugi smiled brightly, his innocent worry and relief evident on his face. A face that held the abuse he'd graciously accepted for him, with out any thought of anything in return. Jonouchi felt hot water sting his eyes painfully and slip over his cheeks to pool on his chin. _Yugi… you… you… I don't deserve your friendship… but… but…

_ "YUGI!" the cry tore desperately from his throat as he wrapped the small boy into his arms hugging him tight, thanking him for existing, for being his guardian angel. For that was the only thing that Yugi could possibly be an angel. One of mercy._

_ "Jonouchi…" Yugi whispered pulling him close in a comforting hug, and Jonouchi cried harder. _

_ No matter what, he would protect this boy, for an eternity, he would, nothing would harm Yugi ever again, he would make sure of it._

The pounding was not apart of his dream, and its annoying echoing tore Jonouchi from his room, and sleep, as he stumbled to answer the door, for once glad that his father was out somewhere, most likely drunken into a coma.

"I'm coming! I'm coming! Hold on, will ya?" He flung the door open in annoyance, his head throbbing, and eyes burning from the memory of his encounter with his old gang, his emotions further jangled by the reminder that he'd lost Yugi, again, he'd failed him.

That fact was made all the more clear when the door opened to reveal a very distraught and pale looking Yami. Jonouchi jumped at the former Pharaoh's haggard appearance. "Yami, what… come on in." Jonouchi hurried the red-eyed youth into the house when Yami simply sat trying to regain his breath.

He led Yami back to his room just incase the old man decided to stagger in unexpectedly and see them and pick a fight, enticing Yami to banish him to the shadow realm. Once inside, the other side of his friend, turned and gripped his upper arm with wide frightened eyes.

"I know where Yugi is!"

Jonouchi blinked. The Egyptian, Shadi, if he remembered correctly, had said as much several hours before and Yami had been frightened but, not so much as he was now. "He's in your past Yami, we already knew this. What's wrong—"

"No! Jonouchi you don't get it, I'm getting my memories back, Jonouchi, and… Yugi… it doesn't look good for him!"

"What do you mean Yami?" Jonouchi asked, feeling his stomach plummet through the floor with each passing second. He didn't like the way Yami sounded, as if he was haunted, and when the shadow looked at him, eyes harrowed with deep pain and guilt, Jonouchi became even more worried. "Yami?"

"I think… I think I rape him Jonouchi."

Mahado gasped as he met Yugi's eyes as the boy was dragged in through the front gates of the palace. _Damn it, I'm too late! _Mahado mentally cursed himself, teeth gritting together as his fists clenched by his sides. He'd meant to speak to Atemu that morning, before the pharaoh had a chance to inform his guards as to the boy's existence.

Jonoh, though a great and loyal guard, was quiet bitter and harsh when it came to people who messed with Atemu, and knowing this, Mahado was not too surprised to see the small Yugi with blood smears upon his pale complexion.

_I should have tried harder to escape from Saimun sooner…_

Mahado quickened his pace taking the servants wing and back passages in an attempt to make it to Atemu's side before he could sentence the boy to any more pain, or death as the case may be.

The priest cursed himself again for his lack of tact. Though the old man, Saimun, was very loyal and knowledgeable, he tended to be a bit eccentric and long winded. _I should have kept my problems with the Dark Magician to my self… it would have saved so much more time, then, perhaps, Yugi would not be in such a predicament now…_

The passage ways were dim and sweltering, only a slightly cool breeze shifted though by way of the entrance to the throne room. Mahado unconsciously opened his mouth trying to draw in some of the cooler air. He could hear the deep murmurs of his Pharaoh's voice as he settled different matters that involved his kingdom. The words were indistinguishable from this distance but, from the tone, Mahado was certain that Jonoh had yet to drag Yugi into meet Atemu. _I may still have time. _

Mahado's brief moment of hope was quickly silenced when the bravado of Jonoh's voice resonated back to his ears. Mahado felt ill, and broke into a dead run. He could now see the bright light from the throne room up ahead. _Just a little further, perhaps… perhaps…_

He broke through the darkness and stumbled into the room in time to hear his Pharaoh speak. "Why, have you dared to impersonate me boy?"

Mahado's mouth hung open as he attempted to regain his breath. His sudden entrance had given those in the room a shock, and all eyes except for Yugi's were trained on him.

Mahado closed his mouth and straightened his clothes, hoping that his blunder on entry would grant him and Yugi, the time that was needed. Atemu, tilted his head to the side, questioning him and Mahado had to hold back a smile as he approached from the right side of the room.

He would have made it to Atemu's side, he would have saved Yugi's small life, and he would have lifted his own guilt, if he'd only known what the small boy was thinking as he gazed up at Atemu unafraid.

Mahado, opened his mouth to ask his god if he could speak, kneeling down and bowing low when the serene silence was shattered and the attention dragged back to the now free child.

"YAMI!" The cry was desperate and elated and echoed through the room. Mahado felt his heart stop as he looked up in time to see Yugi break free from Jonoh's grasp and bolt for Atemu.

_No!_

Yugi hardly noticed the change in scenery as he was dragged into a brightly lit room. One that was large and echoed the sounds of the guards foot steps and words. He'd successfully stopped the burn of tears now, his insides numb, awaiting his end even as his mind quickly tried to find another solution. It was a bit saddening to know that, he was no longer afraid to die, that he no longer felt any hope of surviving, and it was frightening him how much he truly relied on Yami. _Damn, if Yami were in this situation… he'd probably beat them up and escape. I don't… I don't like fighting… damn, think Yugi! Think, there has to be some other way!_ Nothing came to mind, and again the numbness crept in to relax him, coaxing him to give up and let go.

Yugi snorted back a bitter laugh recognizing the feelings, knowing them for what they were. Old habits left from years of beatings. _It will be over soon… soon it will stop, they'll grow tired of beating me and leave me to die… yes, soon… soon it will all end._

Yugi didn't bother to push himself up as he was thrown to the floor, the wind forcing its way from his lungs. A small part of him cried out in indignation for his quickness to give up. Yugi knew he should fight back, that his years of torment and bullying had long since ended, but with everything that had happened, his link to Yami gone, and everything stable stripped from him, Yugi found he did not have the strength to fight his depression. _I wish I could wake up… I'd open my eyes and find Yami staring out my window with a deep look in his eyes. I'll spend a moment looking up at my ceiling thinking about how much has changed, then I'll ask him what's bothering him. He'll jump and look away with a smile telling me it's nothing. I'll know he's lying, but I won't ask why because he'll be trying to coax me back to sleep… but I'll have to get ready for school. Yami will help me, set out my uniform on my bed, pack up my homework, and set about getting my breakfast as I get out and dressed. Then he'll say—_

"pr-aA, here is the boy who has been caravanning around disguised as you." Yugi's eyes widened and his heart froze in his chest at the cold tone in his best friend's voice. It was as if Jonouchi himself had returned from the years before Yugi'd finished the puzzle, and the betrayal hurt more than his physical wounds ever could.

_No! This is not Jonouchi-kun! This is not him! _Yugi closed his eyes tightly trying to suppress the pain, to remember the soft features of his blond companion, but the image shattered as again the voice echoed from above his head angrily. "How should we punish this _impersonator_?"

Yugi gasped, trying hard not to shake as he lay pressed to the startlingly warm floor. It was made of sand stone, and rough on his soft cheeks, Yugi wondered if his tears would darken the sand colored surface or not, but didn't feel much like finding out.

"Why have you dared to impersonate me boy?" Another voice broke through Yugi's fear and forced him to sit up stiffly, his heart thundering in pained hope.

_No… it couldn't… it…_

Yugi lifted his eyes immediately to the tenor voice, his light amethyst locking with pure crimson. Yugi felt his eyes water, as a sick pressure built inside of his chest. _Yami! It's really yami, it's YAMI! _The part of his mind that had protested his defeat, reminded him that the Jonouchi look-a-like had indeed said 'pr-Aa,' implying that he was before none other than his yami, but Yugi's mind was incapable of processing that.

Yugi was frozen, his eyes sweeping over his darker half with a dazed sort of hope. Yami's caramel colored skin shone in the sunlight, accented by his white dress-like attire and his gold accessories. The millennium puzzle glowed from around his neck, looking polished and new. Yugi unconsciously touched his own puzzle, feeling the smooth surface, knowing that his looked tarnished compared to Yami's. He knew the pharaoh had to be his dark, known from the moment that Anuksu had mistaken him for the Pharaoh, but still, he'd feared deep inside that once he met the pharaoh, it would not be Yami. After all, hadn't the spirit of his millennium puzzle been searching for his resting place? What if Yami had simply vanished when Yugi had been transported? He'd be separated from his dark before, with the Oracle Curse card. It was empty, frightening; cold. So what guarantee did he have that Yami was even here? _Yami… you did come here. Thank god._

He was too busy loving the sight of his other half, feeling for once, safe, to notice the shock in the other's eyes as he looked into Yugi's. It was only after Yami turned away startled, looking to his right, that Yugi managed to break free from his frozen status.

He swallowed back a sob as he bolted to his feet racing for the one thing he was certain of at the moment. _Yami! Yami! I found you, Yami!_

"YAMI!" The cry tore from his throat and brought his dark's startled eyes back to him. Yugi was barley aware of sudden movement from behind him, shouts and cries of worry, as he launched himself off of the ground and into his yami's lap. His arms winding around the dark's neck as he sobbed against his shoulder, hiccupping and sniffling trying to tell his dark how much he missed him.

"Yami! I was so scared, Yami! I couldn't hear you, and Anzu… she isn't Anzu and Jonouchi-kun! Gods Yami!" Yugi choked out, tears finally running free from his eyes in delirious joy. _Yami… oh gods Yami, I'm so glad that you're here!_

Yugi slowly became aware that his dark was not holding him back, not comforting him at all, and clung closer new tears falling. "Yami, why wont you hold me? I need you Yami, please—AH!" Yugi cried out, cut off as he was yanked back and off of his stiff and startled dark by his hair. Yugi panicked, and struggled when he felt himself being torn from his darkness once more. _No! Yami! Yami, I can't lose you again! YAMI! _Yugi cried out mentally, but still the link ran silent, and Yugi froze, startled tears running down his cheeks as he was restrained by the arms.

"pr-aA, are you all right? Did he harm you, please forgive me I should have been aware of his danger." The Jonouchi imposter asked as he kneeled beside Yami, and Yugi felt like screaming when he found the confused and slightly disgusted look on Yami's face. _No… Yami… not you… no not you too!_

"I am fine, Jonoh." Yami said in an authoritive voice, one Yugi clearly remembered from the times Yami dueled against someone. "Why did you dare to attack me?" Yami asked, his tone colder then ice, and Yugi burst into painful tears.

A sharp sting struck him across the face and made Yugi dizzy. "The pr-aA asked you a question, scum!" Jonoh, screamed in Yugi's ear, but Yugi hardly noticed. His eyes, instead, drifting slowly toward Yami, again making eye contact.

"Yami… I didn't… it's me! Don't you recognize me?" At the blank stare he received Yugi began to struggle shouting and choking on his tears, his heart ripping apart inside as his worst nightmare became a reality. "It's me, Yami! Yugi! You're Aibou! Come on Yami, please!" Yugi managed to tear free from the guards again and removed his over cloak standing before everyone in his Twentieth Century School attire, his Millennium Puzzle glaring in the sunlight.

A gasp filtered around the room, and even the guards paused in their attempt to reclaim him. Yugi watched as Yami stiffened on his throne, and Yugi vaguely remembered seeing the seat in Yami's soul room once before. Yugi put his hands on his puzzle and held it tenderly to his heart. "Remember Yami, I put the puzzle together and freed you from the shadow realm. You swore to protect me and—"

Jonoh back handed him harshly, snapping his head to the side as Yugi fell to the ground hard, groaning in pain. "Stop your lies this instant you low life! How dare you speak to the pr-aA in such a disrespectful way?"

Yugi had just enough time to open his eyes, before Jonoh's large foot came down harshly on his gut. Yugi choked and gasped for air, as Jonoh, continued to beat him. Another kick to his side had him curled up in fetal position staring straight at his once savior. _Yami… please… help me._

Yugi felt bitter tears track down his eyes as, Yami continued to watch his beating, eyes indifferent. He was just about to give up hope when Yami's voice called out, sounding almost regretful. "Enough!"

The pain eased off, and Yugi, coughed as Jonoh stepped aside, allowing Yami to kneel before Yugi's battered form. Painfully, Yugi glanced up, his eyes searching Yami's with hope.

"…Ya… mi…" Yugi reached up to touch his dark only to have Yami grab his wrist in a harsh gesture, the golden rigs biting into Yugi's skin painfully, his crimson eyes hard as steel. "…Yami?" Yugi croaked, feeling yet more tears prick his eyes painfully.

"I know not who you are, nor of this 'Yami' you speak of." Yami said, his voice cold, and Yugi jerked back away from the man before him, suddenly knowing what it must have been like to be on the receiving end of one of his dark's shadow games.

"But… Yami—"

"Take him away to the dungeon. Do not harm him." Yami said rising to his feet to leave. Yugi reached out grabbing onto Yami's cape and forcing the Pharaoh to turn back and glare at him angrily.

"Yami, please—"

"I am not Yami. I am pr-aA Atemu. It would do you well to remember that." With a final jerk, Atemu freed his cape and walked away, the last of his orders falling from his lips. "I'll deal with him later."

Yugi started to cry out as he was lifted up yet again, but held it back when Atemu suddenly called out for them to halt. Yugi looked up and met Yami's eyes, the gesture seemed to unnerve the Pharaoh and he glared, reaching out and pulling Yugi's puzzle off of him in one fluid motion. "Now, you may go."

Yugi felt something shatter with in him. _No… Yami… no, not my only link to you… Yami please, YAMI! _ Yugi watched, slowly bleeding inside from his inner pain as he was carried through the doors and back down the halls he'd come from previously.

Yami had abandoned him. Yugi was utterly alone.

Yugi concentrated on breathing. Simply drawing in the breath he needed to survive and exhaling in a slow manner, just existing and living. The sound of Jonoh's voice broke through his numbness, as he listened to the order's the blond gave to the men holding him.

"Take him down and strip him of his clothes. Put him in the proper attire and then have him whipped for him insolence."

The threats barely registered in Yugi's mind, but numbly, he knew he was going to be hurt and widened his eyes in fear. This time, no one would come to save him, that was a certainty.

"But, Jonoh, pr-aA said not to—"

"The pr-aA is too kind. This Xrd needs to be taught a lesson."

The argument ended swiftly, and before Yugi knew what was happening he was in an underground room, and his clothes were torn from his body leaving him nude and embarrassed before several men. Yugi tried not to cry when they grabbed him and towed him, still bare into a small circular room. The warm sunlight on his skin made Yugi more aware of his nakedness and he desperately tried to cover himself, feeling sick with his own vulnerability.

"Don't feel comfortable? Well too bad!" Yugi was jerked forward by Jonoh, his arms lifted above his head, secured with the rope that hung from two large pillars.

The rough woven strands bit into his soft, pale skin, and Yugi choked on a painful gasp as the rope was pulled taunt, until yugi was forced to stand on the pads of his feet.

The sand was scorching to his feet, hot and unbearable, dust clung to his one sweaty feet. Yugi trembled, tears forced out of his eyes and down his face, at the leering and mocking faces that watched him.

_This isn't real. This is a nightmare! Any moment now Yami will wake me up! He'll say, "Aibou, you'll be late if you don't hurry." Then he'll notice my expression and ask, "Aibou, what is wrong? You look pale." Then he'll lean closer and touch my forehead for a fever and… and pat my shoulder as I tell him my nightmare. And for once I'll ask him for a hug, and he'll awkwardly blink at me a moment, before smiling and opening his arms with a, "Come here, Aibou. It's all right." _

A crack shattered the air and with it a burning rip, forced Yugi from his memories and he threw his head back with a scream that tore his throat open. Sunlight glinted off of his blood as it lazily rose to the surface and trickled over his back, like tears. Again the pain burned and Yugi screamed, eyes dilating and opening wide. His mouth hung open as with each strike his jaw nearly dislocated from his head as he bellowed his pain and agony.

And no one would save him.

Atemu sat on his throne, holding the dulled pyramid in his hands. It glowed slightly with power and Atemu couldn't help but feel slightly awed that his millennium item was indeed the one held in his hands, but that was simply impossible.

_Only the heir to the throne can put the puzzle together. So how is it that that boy, managed to do the impossible?_

Atemu blinked his crimson eyes, and turned from his ponderings to his white priest who was kneeling before him.

"pr-aA, You must believe me. Yugi, is not a threat. I spent time with him, he knows not of the power he wields, he—"

"Mahado, you of all people should know that that point alone makes him more dangerous then Bakura." Atemu stated, his voice deathly calm. Power was dangerous, shadow power was even more so, but shadow power with no control was devastating, and could in an instant, destroy all that was. "No, Mahado, I am sorry, but until I can be certain that he can be trusted, Yu-gee," Atemu stumbled over the odd name, the word feeling foreign on his tongue, "will stay in the dungeon."

Mahado seemed saddened by that fact, and his head bowed lower, knowing better than to argue with the son of Ra. Atemu sighed, turning from his priest refusing to feel remorse for his decision. "Besides, he will not be harmed, I have told Jonoh as much, the worst that will befall him will be lack of sleep and maybe slight malnutrition." Atemu stated trying not to feel upset by the image of the sobbing child in his mind. The boy had had the nerve to touch him with out his consent. An act that put most in an early grave, and had dared to meet his gaze, Atemu was being merciful in letting him live. "I don't intend to leave him there for long."

Atemu stopped himself, realizing that he was rambling and shook his head to clear it. _I did what was right for my kingdom. So why do I feel so vile? _His crimson eyes narrowed, not liking the way he was second guessing himself. 

Atemu knew what it was that plagued him so, but was unwilling to face it. The boy, he'd known would look like him, but the resemblance was startling, and the fact that he'd just simply looked him, the pharaoh, in the eyes without the slightest hesitation, it just unsettled him. It was like looking at an innocent version of himself, when he was crying out for protection as a child and coldly shunned away, told that he was to be strong for his people.

"_Yami! I was so scared, I couldn't find you!"_

Atemu shook his head harshly looking down at the old puzzle, still pulsing with strained energy. He couldn't shake the voice from his head. The boy had an odd accent like none he'd ever heard before, and he was pale. Paler than even the Romans, as if he was the moonlight itself. Small and fragile, and with an attire that baffled Atemu.

He really wasn't sure what to make of the clothes. They looked hot and uncomfortable, but in some odd way, appealing. The way the cloth clung to the body, hiding what he knew would be there. It was annoying to not be able to see it, like it was a mystery, that made you want to undress the person in the clothes just to see what it covered, though you already knew what you'd see.

_This is stupid. I have to prepare for Rome's arrival. I have no time to dwell on the foreign clothes of some Xrd. _

Atemu strode into his chambers, not remembering ever leaving his throne room, and placed the "new" millennium puzzle in it's designated resting place before turning to look out over his kingdom.

Kehmet glowed under the golden sun, looking like a dream made of sand. It really was made of sand, the smallest gust of wind or disturbance truly could destroy the world he'd struggled to maintain and protect.

All it would take would be one sweep of Rome's army, one shadow monster unleashed, one child who did not even know he could destroy the world.

Atemu sighed, feeling as though a weight rested on his shoulders, and leaned against his wall, simply watching as his people moved around on the dusty streets below.

Kehmet was not weak by any standard. He was the ruler of one of the most powerful countries in the world, and if Rome's army dared to attack there was a good chance that Kehmet would win. The Shadows being a great adversary to have in battle. But wars were won and lost through people, and in the shape that Kehmet was currently in—recovering from the loss of a Pharaoh, and the rise of his successor—left the country in a poor position for war.

A minor drought the year he'd come to power—ending in just the past few months—followed by the restlessness of the shadows, Thief King Bakura's latest mockery of the crown, and the lack of an elder sister to wed and pass on the blood line, had all led to his final decision in attempting a treaty with Kehmet's most powerful enemy.

Atemu scowled in worry. He could not risk a war now, nor any lengthy battles. Especially with Rome, he only hoped that this unorthodox treaty would work.

Most treaties were made through marriage, sometimes gifts and donations made in peace offerings, but because Rome currently had no daughters to wed off for Atemu's—neglected—harem, and previous peace offerings had failed, Atemu had asked if the two nations could agree on a base set of rules and boundaries written up and signed by both rulers, could be used in stead. Amazingly, Rome's current Cesar had agreed, and was sending an ambassador—also his most trusted commander—to discuss Rome's terms.

Seth, was anything but pleased, predicting danger and evil from Rome. Atemu could only hope that his Millennium Rod would give a different view once the ambassador arrived.

Atemu ran a hand through his hair, sighing as he leaned on the banister of his balcony, closing his eyes and allowing the wind to ease his troubled thoughts.

_"Yami!"_

Atemu glowered, the voice still haunting him and shattering all other problems and thoughts._What the hell was that supposed to mean? Ya-mee? Why was he calling me that? And how was I supposed to know him? And why do I feel like… I've betrayed him?_

Atemu growled and stomped away from the view, exiting his room and heading toward the throne room, where behind his throne was the way to his study, where stacks of papyrus papers littered the table top and the floor. At least in there he could forget everything and work solely on the matters of Kehmet.

The throne room was empty, not that it surprised him, but the sound of his angered footfalls were louder then he liked. He paused a moment, staring at his ornately carved throne in slight awe.

_He'd actually had the nerve to jump onto my lap, and hug me. Touch me with out permission._ Atemu shook his head, unsure whether the boy's lack of respect made him annoyed or—bizarrely—amused. Had he been anyone else, the boy would have been executed, but the innocence, and the hope he found in those watery amethyst eyes, had stopped Atemu. For some reason, Atemu simply could not kill the boy.

_I'm getting to be too soft… _

Atemu entered his private room and settled into his worn seat with a groan of released stress. The smell of ink and papyrus paper easing the soft pounding headache that had developed. But it did little to erase the memory of that small body pressed to his own, the warmth that seeped through the boy and into him from simple human contact, and the way it had felt oddly right.

Atemu scoffed scratching his head before removing his heavy gold crown completely and bending over the text before him. Putting Yugi and his glowing puzzle far from his mind.

The room seemed icy cold, even though he now sat with a mug of hot chocolate in his hands. To Yami, everything just seemed like ice.

"Yami, I don't understand." Jonouchi said softly from his position to the shadow's left, his own mug steaming lightly in the room. Yami watched the curling evaporation with solemn eyes. He chose not to respond to Jonouchi's comment and before long, felt the blond's eyes on him. "Yami, why would you rape Yugi?"

Yami flinched, his hands gripping the mug tighter, wishing that he could feel the warmth of the beverage he held.

He'd been there for fifteen minutes. After his first outburst, Jonouchi had left to make something hot and calming, and returned with the chocolate, but had not said a word since.

"Yami?" Jonouchi asked, his voice sounding a little more dangerous than before, but not by much. Yami sighed bowing his head a bit more. He'd hoped he'd never have to explain his darkest thoughts to anyone, his deepest fantasies and wishes.

_I was never going to reveal them… never. But now…_

"Yami, I just want to know what the hell you meant about raping my best friend. I mean, I can't see you really doing that to Yugi and all, but—"

"I want him Jou."

Jonouchi seemed to sputter over his confession, startled by Yami's sudden bluntness and had the circumstances been better, Yami would have smiled.

"W-what?" Jonouchi coughed out, Yami kept his eyes focused on his puzzle as the blond tried to recover from the shock. "B-But what about Anzu?"

This time, Yami did smile. "Yugi likes her, not I. She's a great friend, but I love, Yugi."

Silence took over for a while and it felt almost suffocating. Luckily, Jonouchi broke it once again. "So, does Yugi know that?"

"Gods no! I would never burden him with that!" Yami said, turning on Jonouchi so fast it made the other jump.

"So, you weren't going to tell him? Ever?"

"Not unless he asked. I want him to be happy Jonouchi, and if it's with Anzu, then it's with Anzu. Though I can admit I won't been too pleased with it, I'm already jealous of her as it is."

Jonouchi sighed and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Man, no offense Yami, but this kinda feels like the "Twilight Zone" or something. Yugi getting sucked into da past by some creepy mummy and you being gay… Not that I hold that against you or anything, I mean I don't care what your preference is, it's just… strange hearing you confess and all."

Yami nodded slowly, his fingertip brushing over the edge of the puzzle slowly as silence slipped in once again.

"But, Yami? I still don't get why you think you might rape Yugi. If you love him and all then why would you—"

"That's just it Jonouchi. I love him. Here, now, in this era. I won't know him back in my past. I won't see him as my Aibou."

Jonouchi scoffed and seemed to grow agitated rubbing his head roughly. "Then damn, Yami, you have nothing to worry about. If you don't love him, or remember him then you won't touch him, right?"

Yami hunched lower at the question, and the nervous tension that rolled off of Jonouchi was nearly smothering. "Right, Yami?"

"… Jou, I said I want him, physically. I have since the first moment I saw him. I couldn't explain it, I just wanted to hold him, to love him, to… dirty his light. I didn't and haven't done so because I love him."

The silence was deafening now as Yami met Jonouchi's suddenly wide and frightened eyes. Yami started to quake a bit, the dark liquid in his cup rippling from his inner turmoil.

"I don't want to remember it Jonouchi… and yet, I can't stop the memories at all." Yami held back his unwanted tears and barely suppressed rage, his grip tightening around his mug, until his knuckles had turned ashen. "Yugi was so upset by that dream… to know that I'll make him live through that… Jonouchi, I—" Yami choked for a moment before turning to look his friend in the eyes and admitting what he would never dream of sharing before. "—I'm afraid. I fear for him."

Jonouchi seemed unable to make a sound and wrapped a friendly arm around Yami's shoulders, his fearful, shocked expression softening to one of understanding, as if he knew it was his turn to be the strong and confident one, like the time when Yugi'd been taken away by Yami's own stupidity.

"Yug, will be fine Yami. I'm sure of it."

The words still rung empty.

And the silence continued.

(Ending Theme: "Night Flower")

_I'm wandering lost in the land of love;_

_please come find me._

_I hide my heart_

_that I thought I'd already wore the wings off of._

_The thousands of petals_

_which color my heart_

_make me yearn for you, almost sadly_

_Once more_

_Mirage that slips through my fingers_

_the moment I grasp it..._

_I want to steal away all of you._

_Brandishing a frozen knife,_

_love dances, scattering the night flowers_

_Love, comfort, let go - even my heart..._

_Feel it more intensely_

_If it's destiny,_

_then I don't need peace or warmth._

_Brandishing a frozen knife,_

_love dances, scattering the night flowers_

_Break, injure, seal it away - even my heart..._

_Love me more intensely_

**A.N. Okay, so I'm just making minor changes to the next few chapters. Not a completed rewrite because its taking too long. So, I'll try to post every day from now on. We'll see though.**


	6. Chapter 5

**A.N. Okay first off, this was a first time Yugioh fic, and I really don't want to change too much, hence the random and (grammatically bad) Japanese. I am no expert as I am no expert on Ancient Egyptian, just a little quick study and BSing, since this is a non-profit fic. I have been going through the chapters and taking out the Japanese that shouldn't be there AKA: when I'm not trying to make a point that the language has changed. So, sorry to those that hate the random Japanese I really don't do that anymore, but its staying because, this was an old fic And I don't want to change it too much.**

_**Chapter Five**_

The sun was shining brightly through the room, a room that had been filled with the laughter and joy of a teenage boy not more then a week before, but now all that was left was the room. A shell filled with a solitary person with red eyes who was currently crouched in the farthest corner, staring out around the room, eyes glazed over as if somewhere else entirely.

Yami could picture his aibou in his mind. The small boy up and jumping around his room in his light cotton blue pajamas, the shirt unbuttoned showing off his chest and smooth stomach as he desperately tried to find a clean pair of underwear in the mess that he called a room.

The boy would turn at the sound of Yami's laughter and shoot him a pout, his cheeks red with embarrassment. 'Yami if you aren't going to help me find them, then be quiet! I'm going to be late!'

Yami would then calmly walk over and pull out a pair of boxers from the pile of clean laundry Yugi had shoved under his bed in an attempt to clean his room the day before. Yugi would blush and snatch the garment and bolt off toward the bathroom to bathe.

_Aibou… why is it that you're always the one who has to leave? Because of me, you always have to leave…_

Yami swallowed back his sorrow, trying to bring the faded, ghostly image of his light back before his eyes, doing the little things that Yami missed the most. His sleepy face as Yami tried to wake him, his laughing smile as he spoke about his friends, hell, even his blushing face when he spoke about Anzu; Yami missed it all.

From downstairs Yami could hear his friends as they spoke to Sugoroku about Yugi's sudden disappearance. Honda and Anzu had dropped by the morning after the fact, when Jonouchi had explained to them what all had happened, and since then the three had dropped by everyday more often then not, checking in to see how he was holding up.

Yami could only take so much comfort. He didn't want to push his friends away, but the truth was, there was nothing any of them could possibly do. They could not follow Yugi to the past, and there was no way to retrieve Yugi's soul. From what Shadi had said, Yugi would return when his mission in the past was completed, and all that any of them could do was wait.

_But how am I supposed to wait when I can't even feel him? _

Yami glared, unconsciously calling upon his shadow magic, letting wisps of dark smoke curl around the room. He was tired of waiting, tired of the comfort of those who he did not want comfort from. He wanted Yugi, in his arms, safe and secure. He wanted to feel the warmth of the boy's soul next to his own, to _feel _his very presence, but no, even the slight pressure of his mind was gone, leaving Yami cold and alone for the first time in a long while, and the solitude was slowly eating him alive.

A soft knock resonated through the room, drawing Yami's attention to the door. He remained silent, not really wanting to deal with whoever had come up to speak with him. After his talk with Jonouchi, Yami felt it better to suffer alone than to burden his friends with his own fears. After all, nothing could be done about them. His moment of weakness in telling Jonouchi had cost him a night's sleep after he'd had time to think over what he'd just done. He'd cleared his conscience by burdening someone else's.

Yami sighed, reminded of why he'd chosen to lock himself away inside of his aibou's territory. His room was all that remained; like his soul room, it belonged solely to Yugi. It was a mirror of his being.

"Yami? I know you're in there. You have to come out sometime." It was Anzu. Yami turned from the door and closed his eyes, feeling foul. He allowed the bright sunlight to seep through his lids, coloring his world red.

_Why can't they just leave me alone? Haven't you caused enough damage?_

Wasn't it enough that she had what he treasured most? Why should she try to help him when she knew his feelings? Yami opened his eyes slowly, his angered glare smoothing out. He knew better then to think that way, he knew how Anzu felt, knew how she was handling things. To push off his anger on her simply wasn't right, but all the same, Yami found it hard not to do so. He simply wanted to be left alone, but it seemed that no one was going to let him.

"Yami. Look, I know you miss Yugi, but sitting in there starving his body won't help him."

Yami held back a sharp reply that 'moving around wouldn't help his light either', knowing that it would only encourage Anzu to talk more.

"Yami, listen, I know there's nothing that can be done, but if we stay strong, perhaps we can get Isis to come back and maybe she can help us find out what's happening."

_I already know what's happening…_ Yami thought angrily, though the shadows in the room had lifted a bit, allowing Yami to return to reality. _Yugi's in my past being tortured by a version of myself I can't even remember. _

"How could she help us?" Yami asked quietly, trying to shoot down Anzu and yet, also hoping that she'd have an answer. That she could put his questions and unease to rest. When Anzu spoke next he could hear the smile in her voice, it was soothing to hear it, and made Yami unconsciously relax.

"I honestly don't know Yami, but its better then wasting away right?" Yami was looking at the door when Anzu managed to open it and poked her head in, smiling gently. "Besides, you ever think that maybe this is how Yugi will find you?"

"What?" Yami asked, blinking in confusion at her odd statement and watched as she lowered her eyes to the floor to hide her longing. She'd confessed her love to him shortly after Yugi had been taken away during the battle with Doom, hoping to ease some of his pain with her words of love.

Yami hadn't been very gentle with her feelings at the time, and had confessed his own love for his aibou. He was surprised when she smiled and hugged him, saying that she was happy for them. She was also sad, but she had accepted his love for Yugi and helped him silently as slowly he realized that Yugi could never return his feelings. She really was a good friend, but he could see that she still cared for him in more than a friendly manner.

"I mean, what if while he's there he finds a way to love you in return, Yami?" Anzu said, lifting blue eyes to his own. "In this time, it would be harder for him to find his love for you. Maybe this is the only way the gods knew to help you."

Yami stayed silent. He knew the gods wouldn't have rearranged the time streams just so that he could have his heart's desire, but all the same, Yami clung to the fantasy Anzu had spun.

"All right. Let's call Isis." Yami mumbled and allowed the girl to help him to his feet, her hold on him loving but friendly. Yami couldn't help but smile bitterly at the irony. Both of them loved someone who would never return their feelings, and both were willing to sacrifice their own happiness for the one they loved.

It was really bitter sweet.

"Sorry, Anzu."

"It's all right Yami. Just don't give up on him." Anzu smiled as they made their way down stairs. Somehow it didn't surprise him to see Kaiba and Mokuba seated on the couch next to Jonouchi and Honda. "Besides, my dream is in America, and no offense, but I doubt you'd like it there."

Her smile seemed forced but Yami smiled back, understanding her silent plea for him to forget about it as everyone looked up at him.

"So, Yami, what are we going to do?" Jonouchi asked quietly, and Yami turned to look at Kaiba.

"Kaiba, how long will it take to fly to Egypt in your blue eyes jet?"

The whole room smiled.

Atemu yawned as he made his way down the long corridor to his room. The council meeting with his advisor and priests, all of whom owned a respective Millennium Item, had lasted longer than he'd anticipated. The impending visit from Rome seemed to unnerve not only him but most of those living in his kingdom.

Atemu sighed heavily, wishing that the Roman Empire was nothing but an old fairytale to tell to children who misbehaved. But wishing had never gotten him anywhere before, and he doubted that it would start to do so now.

His cape billowed out from behind him as he turned a corner, making his way to his room. Most times he'd be headed back to his 'secret' room, to sort through the stack of papyrus papers and lists of the day's crops and problems, but not today.

He was tired and worn out. The tomb robber had broken in to yet another of his ancestors resting places, causing an uproar and further damaging the people of Kehmet by releasing a Shadow beast, leveling a small town.

_Now the bastard's no where to be found…_

Atemu tried to ignore the painful headache that was building in his temples. It was going to be a long day, that was for certain, and a mid-day nap before he had to meet with Saimun about the construction of his tomb—which he was less than worried about—sounded like just the remedy he needed.

He entered the room only to come to an abrupt halt in the doorway, eyes narrowing in extreme annoyance. _If he wants to talk about some matter involving those Roman tyrants, I am going to kill him…_

"Mahado, if this is not a dire emergency, I may just have to hurt you." Atemu stated dryly, feeling vaguely safe in the banter he shared with his priest. Atemu walked across the room and flopped down onto his bed, groaning in relief, as the weight was lifted from his feet. That was the last time he was going to stop his officials from turning on each other while discussing the problems of his kingdom, it was simply too tiring. It would be easier, and much more amusing to just watch them annihilate each other.

"pr-aA, I'm sorry to disturb you, but there is a matter that needs to be discussed." Mahado began, and Atemu rolled over impatiently, covering his eyes with his arm, wishing he could throw his crown at the kneeling man.

"Mahado, if you were really sorry, you'd leave me be." He let a pause rest in the air for a moment, before sighing and sitting back up, knowing that his priest would not wait much longer for him to straighten up. Mahado may have known and cared for him as a priest since his childhood, but that didn't mean he was patient with Atemu's short bouts of childishness. "What is it Mahado?"

The priest looked up with shadowed eyes, rising to his full stature, his stance already showing that he was prepared to fight Atemu over this matter, and the young Pharaoh braced for the verbal battle that was sure to erupt.

"pr-aA… Atemu, that boy you sent to the dungeon… You have not checked on him for over four days now."

Atemu blinked for a moment, confused.

_Boy? What boy? _

Atemu was about to ask Mahado to explain himself when a sharp pulsation of light caught his eye, drawing his attention back to the 'other' Millennium Puzzle, half buried under a silk cloth.

His crimson eyes widened in recognition and he turned back to look at his priest. "Oh. The boy. What about him? Four days won't kill him." Atemu said flippantly, wondering why his white priest was concerned over something so frivolous as a prisoner.

"Atemu, you said yourself that he was a threat and needed to be observed. He is a small Xrd, pr-aA, and if that Puzzle does in fact belong to him," Atemu shot Mahado a glare, warning him not to further analyze that path, and the priest lowered his head to show that he meant no disrespect. "… all I'm saying is that that Millennium Item has been glowing and pulsing since the day you took it from him. If it is at all connected to that boy, then I think you should investigate further."

Atemu ran a hand through his hair, his fingertips stubbing on the base of his crown. "I know Mahado, thank you for your concern in the matter."

The priest bowed, understanding Atemu's silent dismissal and left the room, his posture still reprimanding the crimson eyed Pharaoh for his forgetfulness.

_The boy… how could I forget that one. _

Yami pondered, looking over at the puzzle with concern. He knew the reason behind his mental question, understood that the real question was, how was he supposed to remember such a small incident? Kehmet was facing the end of a drought, Rome was on their borders bringing either war or a treaty, and the thief Bakura was being a pain in the ass. How in all Ra's glory was _he _supposed to remember one small little boy?

_But Mahado is correct. I have been neglecting my own duties to my people. And that Ra forsaken puzzle has not been silent since I took it from him. _

Atemu let out a breath of air and stood. It seemed his mid-day nap was to be put on hold until he'd settled the matter with the lap boy.

It was funny how the young one had been far from his mind for the last four days and yet, now that he thought of him, Atemu could clearly remember that one's face, not to mention his clothing and behavior.

_Is he even from Kehmet? His skin was too pale, and his accent off, not to mention his complete disrespect for the son of Ra. _Atemu knew that the boy's insolence should have made him angry, but somehow, it fit, and instead, the memory caused him to smile.

_Fine, I'll ask the boy about the Puzzle and where he's from, and then I'll figure out what to do with him. _

Atemu nodded to himself as he left his chambers and made his way toward the lower level of the prison block, hoping that the boy's odd clothes had at least been washed sometime during the last four days, though not really expecting it. Such was the fate of a prisoner. _At least he'll be conscious and unharmed, able to talk._

With that, Atemu descended down the stairs to speak with the boy who owned A duplicate of his Millennium Puzzle.

He hurt all over. His back burned with a numbing kind of icy fire, until he could no longer feel the trickling of running blood, nor the caked dried blood that puckered against his peeled flesh. _I'm awake today… Yami… but I think I've missed the bus again. This cold is pretty bad…_

Yugi felt the burn of tears in his eyes, but none of them fell. Not even the pretending helped to ease the truth of it all. No matter how much he tried to make believe that the cold stone beneath his nearly naked body was just his cold sheets, or that the pain was from pneumonia. He was always brought back to the hellish nightmare by his friend's evil double, stripped of his dirtied and ripped wrap, and beaten. It was usually the whip, but sometimes it was rocks and sticks, and on the rare occasion a fist or foot.

He'd lose consciousness and be back in his stony cell alone, his ripped up cloth tossed carelessly over his backside.

The humiliation was the worst of it, for him at least. The beatings hurt like hell, yes, but it hurt so much more to be seen and beaten while being naked. It was bad enough, the teasing for his height and looks back home in his time, but now, all his insecurities were laid out before him and were shoved into his face, and no one would care to stop it.

No one would save him.

Yugi blinked, trying to rid his eyes of the burning sting of his tears, but it only caused the gritty feeling behind his eyes to grow, causing more irritation. _If I just hold still, maybe they'll think I've died… maybe they'll leave me alone…_

Yugi's face scrunched up with his own thoughts, and he had to remember not to make a sound at his indignation. _Yeah, and maybe Pharaoh Yami will come down and stop the beatings…_

Finally the tears fell, and Yugi pressed his face into the stone to try and stop the sound of his whimpers from alerting the guards to his waking state. _Yami… why haven't you come yet? You said you'd deal with me later? Have you forgotten me? And, if that isn't really you, Yami, then why haven't you come after me? I went into your past to save you! I chased after you! _

A strangled whimper eased its way from his mouth, and Yugi jumped at the loud sound, his heart thundering in his ears as he waited for someone to come in and drag him out into more ridicule and torment. _It's over now… they're going to hurt me again, Yami… Yami… where are you? I know you wouldn't abandon me intentionally… ne? Ne, Yami?_

Tears escaped from his eyes as he tried to recall the face of his dark, his crimson eyes soft with mirth as they talked late into the night on the simplest of matters. Things that seemed so boringly normal to Yugi and yet, to Yami, it was the most interesting thing he'd ever seen.

Like television, a music video, a phone, and Yugi's personal favorite, his alarm clock. Yami, though very casual about it, had yet to understand the full workings of modern technology, and only showed his confusion and interest while safely secluded within Yugi's room where he could privately discuss his uncertainty with his small light. His most recent ponderings had been street lamps and battery-operated tooth brushes.

Yugi could clearly recall one conversation; it had been just after Yami had encountered rain and admitted that he loved it, and after being stranded in Yami's world for a week, Yugi could well understand Yami's infatuation with "sky water". Rain was so rare in the desert, it was nearly a myth, though it did happen on occasion. The frequency in which it rained in Japan must have been the true root to Yami's infatuation with the liquid precipitation.

The sound of footsteps froze the blood in his veins and Yugi sucked in a ridged breath. _Pass by… pass by, I am dead… do not look this way._ Yugi silently repeated his mantra of hope, even as he heard his cell door squeak open and the metal grind against the sandstone floor.

"Wake up! You've had enough sleep!" Yugi tried desperately not to jump and cry when Jonoh's voice bellowed throughout his room and a violent hand grabbed his still healing shoulder. "I said get up you low-life scum!"

Jonoh jerked Yugi's shoulder back painfully and fresh blood tore from his new wounds and some puss escaped from the infected ones. The sharp pull on his frail form knocked Yugi from his 'bed' and dumped him to the floor where his tender skin scraped and bruised. Yugi pulled himself into the fetal position, his mouth open in a silent scream of agony as he tried to protect himself and keep his body covered.

A disgusted snort broke through his haze of pain as Yugi was dragged back up to his wobbling feet. One of his hands still dropped to cover his lower region and Jonoh laughed in his face.

"Still trying to hold to your dignity?" He shook Yugi by his arm, nearly unbalancing him as he dragged Yugi from the room. "Give it up. You are nothing, and have nothing to defend."

Yugi gasped and swallowed large bouts of air trying to stave off the panic his mind and body were falling into. His legs turned to jelly beneath him and he tripped more then once, causing Jonoh to drag him, and his heart tried to stop beating, and his lungs tried to close. _If I struggle it will only bring more pain… if I cry, they'll only beat me more… but… but…._

"…please…" Yugi whimpered, shaking as his battered, naked form was dragged into the small circular area that held no roof, allowing the sun to blaze down hotly upon the land and blocking any breeze from entering. It was a small hell in itself, with two wooden poles extending high into the sky each holding a rope. Dark blood stains covered the ground between the two posts, and Yugi knew that most of those stains had come from him.

This was where he was taken day after day, where the sun could burn his pale skin, sand could clot his wounds, where whips and fists rained upon him until he was carried away on the black wings of unconsciousness. Yes, this was his hell. Yugi was aware that it was midday, the poles cast no shadows, and without thinking, Yugi dropped to his knees becoming dead weight.

"No!" Yugi cried out, and Jonoh, glared yanking hard on his arm.

"What did you say?" Jonoh asked before mocking him with laughter. "You want me to stop because you asked?" The Egyptian threw back his head and laughed. Yugi began to squirm, twisting and pushing at the hand that held him. Yugi didn't know what had gotten into him, but he continued to struggle. He knew his efforts would only result in more pain, but he simply couldn't stop. _No! I won't give in! No! NO! NO! Yami, if you won't save me, then I'll save myself, Damn it!_

Yugi cried and dug his heels into the hot burning sand, and shoved backward, only to have Jonoh's laughter cease as the tall man ripped him off his feet and onto the ground. A sickening pop filled Yugi's mind as his arm went numb and icy fire encased his shoulder.

"You won't even punch or kick back, and you expect us to simply go easy on you? You attacked the pr-aA, and for that, you deserve to die. But because pr-aA saved your life, I will instead take your crimes from you hide."

Yugi barely heard the bellow, too intent on trying to move his fingers, becoming terrified when they did not respond. _He popped my shoulder out of joint… I… I have to… to fix it… _

Yugi forced himself to sit up, his left hand helplessly feeling for his shoulder bone and trying to figure out how to push it back into place. Jonoh's eyes narrowed in contempt and he approached the fallen boy, kicking him down again, his dirty sandal grinding into his scarred and ripped back.

"AH!" Yugi screamed, the pain from his shoulder and whippings overwhelming him in fiery agony.

"See, that's what you get for ignoring me. Now you shall be punished." The joy in Jonoh's voice was obvious and it tore at Yugi's heart, knowing that his pain had only just begun, and felt the weight of the foot lift from his back, knowing it would soon come back down, and had just enough time to panic over whether his ribs would break, when finally his nightmare ended.

"Jonoh!" The voice commanded his attacker to halt with out saying any other words, and Yugi found his eyes open in shocked wonder, hope filling his every nerve. Watery eyes looked out over the sandy ground, and focused on the voice's body, knowing who he'd see before his eyes landed on the sun kissed man dressed in royal garbs of white trimmed in gold, the royal violet cape surrounding him in a dark shadow. The man's sword was drawn and pointed dangerously at his tormentor, crimson eyes flashing with rage as he stepped across the sand to put a stop to Yugi's pain. Yugi smiled and whimpered, drawing the attention of his savior to him, and watched those ruby eyes widen and fill with guilt. Yugi wanted to stand and smile, tell his other that everything was all right, but his body wouldn't move, so all he could do was whimper and smile up at him, while grateful tears poured from his eyes.

_Yami, I had a dream today. You came.. and you saved me from the pain… and I was never so happy… Yami…_

Atemu's patience was wearing thin. He'd come to the lower bowels of his palace intent on finding the boy with ease, yet every guard he questioned seemed to avoid the question and sputter excuses for not knowing.

_I should banish them all to the shadow realm for their incompetence… _Atemu thought angrily. _How can you misplace one little Xrd? The only prisoner you are not supposed to maim, kill, or touch? _

At the end of his tether, Atemu turned toward the whipping chamber, assured by the last guard that Jonoh would be there. If nothing else, his top and most trusted guard would be able to assist him in finding the boy. At least, he hoped that would be the case.

An anguished cry came from the lighted archway that opened up and into the whipping chamber, and for some reason, the cry unsettled Atemu. The pharaoh paused a moment, feeling the cold chill that ran through his body at the sound, before shaking it off.

It's nothing more then a criminal receiving his punishment. It's not like I've never heard it before.

Atemu stood tall as he walked through the doorway, his mouth already open to question his friend, when his eyes landed on the prisoner below Jonoh. His eyes widened in shocked horror at the sight of the small boy, naked and bare upon the earth, just dust and grime clinging to his body as blood and infection oozed from his reddened back.

A deep shade of burnt red was splashed across the boy's shoulders and neck, standing out drastically against his pale skin, and his face was scrunched tight, tears carelessly falling from his eyes as his perfect teeth bit into his lower lip to contain his cries.

"See, that's what you get for ignoring me. Now you shall be punished." Jonoh's voice echoed in the room, holding such joy that it caused Atemu to feel sick. The boy's eyes widened blindly in horror, and Atemu could see that the boy knew what was going to happen to him.

A rage built up inside of him, and before Atemu was aware he had moved, he'd drawn his sword and called out to his Guard. "Jonoh!"

His own voice seemed not to belong to him, so contorted with anger it came out more of a guttural growl than an actual shout, but he was pleased at the reaction that the tone had brought.

Jonoh's head snapped up, his golden eyes wide with fear as he moved back and away from the broken boy. Atemu growled deep in his throat, stepping closer, his blade raised to kill.

It was a crime to disobey the Pharaoh, Jonoh knew of this well, and so he should not even defend himself, could not defend himself now. Crimson eyes glanced down to the one on the ground when a soft cry reached his ears, and Atemu felt his heart twist painfully.

He was smiling. The boy was smiling and trying to speak out his gratitude but only choked whimpers escaped. Atemu felt his self disgust rise as the boy struggled a moment to move, his eyes showing comfort and acceptance even as he collapsed back to the ground with a soft whimper.

This is my fault. Mahado was right, I should have checked on him the same day I had him placed here…

Atemu managed a soft look and a gentle nod to the boy, whose eyes now seemed glazed, promising himself that he would let nothing else cause harm to him.

Distantly, Atemu noticed the way the prisoner's right arm fell limp, assessed that the arm was pulled from its place, and turned his angered gaze back up to the culprit at hand.

"Jonoh, did I not command that this one should not be harmed?" Atemu questioned, his eyes narrowing at the tight-lipped and tense nod his guard gave him. A part of him wished that his guard would back down and claim ignorance, beg for forgiveness, but he knew Jonoh well enough to know that the man would not do so.

"Yes, pr-aA. I was aware."

"And still you disobeyed my orders?" Again the question was half hopeful, and again the guard met Atemu's eyes and nodded, his gaze unrepentant.

"Yes, pr-aA, I did."

Atemu inwardly sighed, though his outward appearance did not change. It was law, and Jonoh's death was already assured. "Then you will concede to the punishment for your disobedience." This time, it was not a question, and Jonoh knelt to one knee, head bowed low, baring his neck.

Atemu lifted his sword high, the sunlight glinting off of the silver blade as he decreed his punishment. "Then you shall be killed for your crimes. May the gods be merciful on your deceiving soul."

The blade shifted, arching down to remove Jonoh's head from his neck when a sudden weight gripped his arm, pulling it to the side and yanking Atemu down into a hunched position, his sword falling harmlessly to the ground next to the surprised Jonoh.

"Stop Yami! Don't kill him…"

"What…" Atemu's eyes fell onto the boy, still bloodied and broken, who now was curled around his arm protecting his own tormentor. "What do you mean, stop?" Atemu asked slowly, not even bothering to put the small boy into his place. "He has hurt you, nearly killed you, and has defied my orders, so why should I not take his life?" Atemu's voice steadied out, and his eyes narrowed at the youth on his arm, daring him to answer, and was shocked into silence when the boy's eyes lifted and crashed with his own.

The amethyst eyes, that had been so weak, so broken before, were hard and steely, competing with his own crimson stare, and starring him down. "Because… Yami… he simply wanted … to protect you… and your image. He did it for you."

The gaze held firm for several moments, locking the Pharaoh into place, forcing him to bend to his will.

Who… is this boy? How can he do this… to me? And how can he forgive Jonoh… forgive him for—

Atemu's ponderings were cut short as the boy's eyes suddenly rolled up and into his head as he fell limp. Moving quickly, Atemu had dropped his sword and gathered the boy into his arms tenderly, wary of his torn back, and cradled his head close to his chest.

You used the last of your strength to spare Jonoh's life? To stop me form killing he who would kill you?

Atemu smiled kindly at the peaceful looking face, and stood slipping his arm under the youth's legs once his sword had been replaced at his side.

Fine, I will respect your wishes and spare him… for now.

Turning his eyes from the sleeping boy, Atemu glared down his nose at the guard who still knelt before him. Jonoh's eyes were trained on the boy Atemu held, with a look of shock and disbelief.

_Kindness is new to you, isn't it, Jonoh? _Atemu questioned silently, turning his gaze back to the boy for but a moment. _It is new for me as well… _His father's rule, and the officials who had nearly controlled his father, had been cruel, and for Jonoh, growing up under their control, had faired far worse than he. Atemu feared it had tainted him, and his enjoyment of Yugi's pain had solidified his worries.

"Jonoh, I will spare your life for his sake. But when I see you next, we shall play a game… a shadow game."

Atemu watched Jonoh's reaction to his fate with a cold stare and felt the smallest bit of respect for the man when he bowed and said in a quiet voice, "Yes, pr-aA."

Atemu nodded once, and then turned and made his way out of the place, feeling the boy in his arms breathe and snuggle closer to him when the shadows fell over his face. With out conscious thought, Atemu shifted the boy closer giving him warmth and cover with his body as he made his way through the palace.

Hold on little one, Isis will fix you right up. Everything will be just fine.

The boy smiled in his arms, relaxing slightly against Atemu as if he had actually heard Atemu's thought of comfort, and gave a soft sigh his words barely audible to the Pharaoh's ears, "Arigatou… Yami…."

Atemu looked down with a worried glance, wondering what the boy had said, before quickening his pace. _I guess our talk and my answers will have to wait…_

Atemu gave a soft sigh of annoyance. It looked like he wasn't going to get his nap after all.

_Yugi curled deeper into his bed sheets with a groan, shielding his eyes from the sunlight that threatened to steal him from his dreams. His comforter and sheets deluded the light giving it a soft cream tinged glow, lulling his mind back into the comforting embrace of sleep. At least, it would have had a very amused voice not intruded on his sanctuary._

_"Aibou, you need to get up now. Jii-san left already, you need to open the shop for him." _

_"Nooo… tired… sleep… Yami…" Yugi mumbled, trying not to speak loudly, his own voice slowly dragging him from his dreams. Yami chuckled and Yugi could feel his mattress shift as the spirit plopped down beside him._

_"Yes, Aibou, that's what happens when you decide to stay up all night challenging me to duels."_

_Yugi grunted thinking that maybe if he didn't respond Yami would quiet up. No such luck. "Aibou, you really must get up now. Or should I bring in a glass of ice water?"_

_"Do it, and I'll make sure the next month for you is hell." Yugi threatened right back, though his pouty tone did little to intimidate. Yami must have agreed since he just laughed again._

_"Then how about we spare each other the icy wake up call and the month of hell, and you get up now?"_

_Yugi wasn't going to respond, sleep slowly drawing him away when Yami suddenly fell backwards flattening the young teen under him. "Aibou, it's time to wake up." _

_"What are you? A deranged sleep-Nazi alarm clock?" Yugi muttered angrily, though beneath the blankets he was laughing._

_"If it will get you up, then yes, I am." _

_Yugi chuckled, and slowly started to open his eyes, ready to greet the world. "Fine, but you'd better help out, Yami."_

_The shadow's laughter echoed in his ears. _

_"Deal, Aibou." _

Yugi blinked slowly, as his eyes focused and he realized that he was not in his bed at home, and Yami was not over him, wearing his god awful school uniform and leathers, waiting for him to wake up with a pleasant smile. _Where… am I? _Yugi thought as he slowly moved his head from side to side, taking in the bright sunshine that filled the sandstone room. It was large and mostly open, allowing a nice cross breeze through. Large pillars held up the ceiling and had hieroglyphs carved and painted around them. Symbols and paintings of Hike, god of magic and medicine ran along the stone and Yugi was then aware of the clean feeling that surrounded him, as well as the constricting cloth around his chest.

The bandages itched, and Yugi could feel the slight burn of the medicine on his sore back. The room smelled of incense and myrrh and made Yugi feel drowsy. _Why am I here? Last thing I remember is…_

Memory flashed through Yugi's mind and his amethyst eyes jolted open as his chest filled with aching hope. "Yami."

Yugi smiled to himself, looking around for his other half, saddened when he could find no trace of him. _Yami saved me… and then tried to kill Jonouchi… no, not Jonouchi, Jonoh. He tried to kill him… did I stop him in time? _Yugi's mind raced and he forced himself up into a seated position. His body burned and ached with his movement and Yugi cringed and released a short gasp. He lifted his hand to his right shoulder, curling his arm against his chest to stave off the throb of pain, and then realized what his movement meant.

"My arm… it's fixed…"

Yugi's attention was so focused on his sore, but working limb, that he didn't notice the figure that approached his bedside slowly.

"Wow… Sugoi… ore wa genki desu." Yugi smiled again, the motion feeling odd on his face from days of disuse. "Ah, Jonoh-san!" Yugi swung around intending to find the man and make sure that he was unharmed—though he didn't quite care for the man, he looked too much like Jonouchi for him not to at least look into his well being—but was stopped by the person beside him.

Yugi froze, his eyes wide, "No way… is that… is it really you?" Yugi blinked and the person gave him a guilty look, head lowering in shame.

"I'm so sorry, Yugi, I should have hidden you better. This is all my fault. If I'd left you at home—"

"Anuksu!" Yugi cried joyously, his arms flinging around the girl, startling her with his sudden embrace. "I'm so glad to see you again! How did you get in? Did they take you too?" Yugi pulled back to question the girl and finally took notice of her attire. "And why are you dressed like a belly dancer?" Yugi tilted his head to the side curiously, and watched as Anuksu's eyes finally looked up and into his own.

"You are not angry with me?"

"Huh? Should I be?" Yugi asked confused, and Anuksu gave a watery laugh, her hand ruffling his hair.

"You're a nice person Yugi."

Yugi blushed and returned the smile, feeling somewhat normal for the first time in days. "Thanks, but, why—"

"I work here remember? I'm a dancer for the pr-aA. I saw the pr-aA carry you to this room, and I followed. I stepped out of line and asked him what had happened to you. I guess he was too preoccupied to notice my disrespect. He didn't punish me, but after he'd given you to Isis, he pulled me aside and asked me about you."

"Isis?" Yugi asked, a chill running down his spine. It was a bit creepy to hear a friend's name used three thousand yeas before she should be born. And if his memory from his first travel back in time was correct, Isis still looked the same as she did in the future. _Isis… why would he bring me to—_

"She's the healer. Oh, and I told them you didn't like "skirts" or whatever you called it, and they let me look for this." Anuksu said with a smile, holding out her arms and presenting Yugi with the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

"My school uniform." Yugi's eyes teared up as he gently pulled the clothing into his arms, pressing it to his face and breathing in deeply. The smell of his home wafted back to him. He hadn't been aware of how much he'd missed his own smell, and he sniffled slightly. _Jii-chan, I miss you Jii-chan. _

"I don't know why Atemu saved you, Yugi. But I'd keep those clothes hidden." Anuksu warned, and Yugi looked up at her, his uncertainty returning.

"Hide them?" Yugi looked down at the blue cloth, his only link to his home and lightly ran his fingertips over it.

"Yes. Keep them safe. I must leave now, before Isis returns with pr-aA, but I'll stay close, so don't worry Yugi. I'll protect you." Yugi looked up and into the eyes of his friend and smiled with a nod.

"Thank you, Anuksu."

The girl nodded once and then hurried from the room. Yugi watched her for a moment, content to know he had at least one friend with him. _Yami and the others will come for me. I just need to be patient. That's all… they'll need to gather the Millennium Items and the god cards and get to Egypt, so of course it will take a while. I just… need… to wait._

Yugi's fingers brushed over his clothes, feeling the harsh cotton against his finger tips and remembering the comfort of those clothes. His hand hit something hard in the pocket of his pants and Yugi jumped, looking toward it. He slid his hand inside of the pocket and pulled out the object with in.

"Aha! They didn't find my cards!" Yugi beamed, holding the deck of duel monsters reverently in his palm. "Hey guys… miss me?" Yugi spoke to the inanimate cards with a smile, glad to have them with him, though he doubted his gaming board would even work in ancient Egypt, not to mention that he didn't have the board in the first place, but that didn't mean the cards couldn't hear him. Right?

"Can you guys hear me? Do you know me? Or have I been completely forgotten in this time?" Yugi asked sadly, and felt a warmth fill him from his cards. He might have imagined it, might have made it up in an attempt to feel safe, but after believing in the heart of the cards for so long, Yugi wanted to believe that they had answered his question.

"Everything's going to be fine, now… just fine."

Atemu could see Yugi from the doorway, and cringed at the numerous bandages that wrapped his back and wrists. He'd not been allowed to stay for the healing, that being a sacred ritual, but he'd heard from Isis the complete list of damages done and wondered, not for the first time, if he'd been right to spare Jonoh's life.

_Yugi is just a boy… the dancer said as much. And from what Mahado and the girl say, Yugi is of no threat to me, consciously. _

Atemu smiled as the boy seemed to take comfort from his own strange attire and slowly approached his side. He needed to speak to him if he was to protect Yugi from any more pain.

_The safest choice would be to make him a palace slave, one that attends to me. I could keep an eye on him, and keep him from harm all at once._

Atemu reasoned with himself on the matter, refusing to think of why he wanted to help the boy at all. It was something he could not explain easily, and therefore did not want to think of it.

He was certain it was guilt, but a Pharaoh was not to feel such things, so Atemu refused to admit that he felt responsible for the hurt and injuries the boy sustained.

Standing over him, Atemu looked over Yugi's shoulder, curiously eyeing the brightly colored paper pictures in Yugi's hands.

_These are what Mahado spoke of. Shadow monsters on small bits of papyrus… this boy hold's so many… _

"Are you sure you are well enough to be up?" Atemu asked when the boy failed to notice him. Yugi jumped, gripping the cards and clothing to his chest as he turned to look at him. Surprisingly, the sight of Atemu seemed to calm Yugi rather than intimidate him, and Atemu couldn't help but wonder where he'd come from that he would not fear his presence.

"It hurts a bit… but I guess I'm used to it now." Yugi said with a smile and a nod. His eyes trained on his hands as he fiddled with placing the cards back into his pocket. "… how is Jonoh?"

The question blew Atemu away, and he gave Yugi a concerned look. "Why should you care?" His own inquiry seemed to scare Yugi, as he turn to look at Atemu with wide eyes.

"Because… he was only doing what he thought was right… and I don't want to see him hurt."

Atemu shook his head, laying a soothing hand on top of Yugi's head. The feeling of familiarity filtered through his insides, but Atemu shook it off abruptly. "You are a strange one. He is fine, for now, Yugi, but now you should rest. When you are well, you will start your duties as a palace servant. Do you understand?"

Yugi blinked and turned to him for a moment, seemingly saddened by his words before nodding slowly. Atemu moved to leave his side, but found himself stopping to explain himself. "It will be safer for you to reside here as a Hm. Safer for you, and Kehmet."

"Wakarimasu."

"What?" Atemu regarded the boy again.

Yugi jumped, with a nervous smile, "Uh.. yeah, I understand."

Atemu gave him a look, unsure of what to make of the boy's actions, when Yugi asked the question Atemu had been most worried of.

"Can I have my puzzle back now?"

"Why?" Atemu responded, with a glare of distrust. There were many reasons as to why one would require the Millennium Puzzle, and not one of them was a good reason.

_Why do you wish for the Puzzle Yugi? For it's power? It's symbol? For your shadow magic?_

Atemu narrowed his eyes, intent on reading the boy completely. If he lied, Atemu would know. Yugi looked away from him, a distant smile on his face as he spoke, his voice and tone so innocent and truthful that it left no room for doubt in his words.

"To be honest, I feel kinda lost, and that Puzzle is my treasure from my home. It means a lot to me. I spent eight years trying to assemble it, and right now… it feels like a key to my home. That's why."

Atemu didn't know what to say. He didn't appear to be lying, but then again, he didn't know if he could be trusted either. Atemu's lips tightened into a line and he turned to leave. He could not make a decision now, he'd have to wait and see who Yugi was with his own eyes.

_If you are as innocent as you appear, then I will return your Puzzle. If you turn false… _

"Yami!" The panicked question stopped Atemu's retreat and he turned back to the boy and saw the worry on his small bruised face and sighed, his look softening slightly.

"Rest now, we'll talk more later. So rest now, little one." His words caused Yugi to smile, and the boy nodded his head and lay back onto the raised bed in the center of the room. Atemu watched his stiff movements for a moment more, before again turning to take his leave.

"Yami?"

_Yami? … nothing I do will get him to stop calling me that, will it? Where in all of Kehmet did he come up with that anyway?_

Atemu found slight humor in the nickname and turned around, not bothering to correct him. "Yes?"

Yugi turned a light pink, and he looked at his finger tips as they tapped against each other nervously. It was a cute sight, and Atemu found it slightly endearing to see. He turned completely around to face the embarrassed youth. Atemu walked to his side looking down at Yugi with softened crimson eyes.

"What is it you want little one?" Atemu chuckled to himself when Yugi looked up at him, looking for all the world like a small lost child.

"Could… could you, stay with me, just a bit? Until I fall asleep, Yami? I'm… I'm scared."

The confession took Atemu by surprise, and he stared at the boy for several long minutes watching his hopeful expression crumble at his silence.

"Fine. I will stay, until you fall asleep." Atemu stated, and watched the boy's eyes light up.

"Thanks, Yami."

Atemu nodded, and stood over the boy, as he closed his eyes and relaxed slowly into slumber. Atemu's eyes were soft as he reached out to smooth his hand over the boy's head as if he were comforting a tiny child.

_He has no respect for me, the pr-aA. No care for the rules of this place, and yet, it is not offending. Who are you, little one? Why are you here?_

Atemu stopped touching Yugi, and pulled his hand back to stare at it in confusion. Since when did he touch others with such carelessness? The boy's actions were somehow endearing, but confusing as well, and seemed to rubbing off on him.

_What are you here for?_

Atemu kept watch over Yugi, his crimson eyes looking over the damage his negligence had caused until Isis returned and forced him out. All the while he wondered if his pity and concern for Yugi was good or bad.

The Pharaoh of Upper and Lower Kehmet simply did not know.

(Ending Theme: "Night Flowers")

_ai no kuni wo samayou_

_watashi wo mitsuke dashite_

_tsubasa ni wa mada_

_surikireta hazu no kokoro kakushite_

_watashi no mune wo someta_

_ikusen no hanabira wa_

_kanashii kurai anata wo koishiku saseru_

_mou ichido_

_sugaritsuku shunkan_

_surinukeru maboroshi_

_anata no subete wo ubai saritai_

_itetsuita NAIFU kazashi_

_ai wa mau yoru no hana wo chirashite_

_aishite, iyasarete, tokihanatsu - kokoro sae..._

_motto hageshiku kanjite_

_sadame nara_

_yasuragi mo, nukumori mo iranai_

_itetsuita NAIFU kazashi_

_ai wa mau yoru no hana wo chirashite_

_kowashite, kizutsukete, tojikomete - kokoro sae..._

_motto hageshiku aishite_


	7. Chapter 6

**A.N. I'll replace this chapter when I update it.**

_**Chapter Six**_

Burger World was loud with the midday rush. The cashier and the waitresses were all rushing about their adrenaline high with the need to get all the people served while the hostesses tried not to panic as they quickly ran out of seats and people began to wait in line to be seated.

Yami surveyed the mess with dull eyes, not really careing for the panic that consumed the place, nor the tense atmosphere that surrounded his table in a heavy blanket. His insides were simply cold, and empty.

_Yugi was… beaten… and I… I… _

Yami clenched his jaw, his fists shaking under the cover of the table as pain poured over his senses. He'd seen it, in another memory dream, the way he'd walked into the room with no concerns, hardly careing where Yugi was to begin with and then…

"Damn that Kaiba! How long can it possibly take to get to Egypt in his private jet, talk to Isis and get her to give us some god damned answers, huh?" Jonouchi suddenly bellowed, his palm slapping the table top in his annoyance.

Yami looked up at his friend, and out of habit almost spoke out to comfort the boy, to put up the false face of surety and confidence, but his mouth stayed closed as he looked at his friend, Jonouchi's pain matching his own perfectly and causing Yami to digress back into his own mind once more.

Luckily, he didn't have to be the ring leader, Anzu stepped up to that position, as she always did and soothed over the bruised feelings of the four friends there.

"Jonouchi, you know that isn't fair. Kaiba's jet will take as much time as any other plane, unless he's somehow managed to get a hold of military technology, and in that case he'd still have to wait on Isis. And calling up a prophecy with details isn't going to be easy, you know." Anzu lightly scolded, her tone more aimed in jest then actual annoyance.

Jonouchi slumped into his seat with a sad exhale, scrubbing at his bangs in an attempt to relieve some of his anger. "I know that Anzu, it's just…" Jonouchi didn't bother to finish his statement and stood moving to the exit.

"Ah, Jonouchi?" Anzu questioned rising as well, but the blond just held out a hand stalling her.

"I just need some air, Anzu, I'm fine."

"Would you like me to come?" Honda asked, speaking for the first time since they'd arrived at the eatery.

"Naw, I'll be fine. I'd rather be alone now." Jonouchi then left with his hands buried in his pockets and his shoulders slumped low.

Yami watched his friend leave with a bit of guilt. He wasn't the only one hurting from his Aibou's disappearance, but all the same he was acting as if he was.

"I am sorry." Yami murmured, feeling responsible for not stopping anything from happening. "I should have—"

"You know Yami, when Yugi first got the Millennium Puzzle, I mean first got it, not completed, but in pieces, I saw you." Anzu stated, and as Yami looked up at her, startled. She gave a soft smile, twirling her straw in her soda. She was trying to change the subject, he knew, and wouldn't have fallen into her trap had her statement not thrown him completely off guard.

"Y-you did? But… how?" Yami questioned and watched as Anzu looked out the glass door at Jonouchi. They had been hoping to hear from Mokuba, he'd told them to meet at the burger joint at eleven for an update on his brother's whereabouts and findings, but Mokuba was nearly an hour late.

_Wonder if he's not found anything, and simply doesn't want to give us the bad knews…?_

"Well… Yugi had just turned eight, and was throwing a party. I was over, being his only friend at the time, and his grandfather had told him that he could pick _any_ game from the back of the store as his present." Anzu paused recalling the memory with a sweet smile, and Yami was vaguely aware of how familiar this story was beginning to sound, but for the life of him couldn't remember it.

"He was back there for so long, I'd thought he'd died, but when he came back out… he was holding that golden box with the pieces of the Millennium Puzzle inside. Of course, I didn't know it then, and when his grandfather pulled him aside to talk to him about it, I assumed that it was none of my business and left the two alone." Anzu stopped to sip her soda and Yami blinked at her casual movements. She acted as if she was simply talking about the weather and not their missing friend.

"That night, we fell asleep watching a movie, Yugi had been distracted with a puzzle of sorts, I wasn't interested at the time, well we fell asleep on the floor with our pillows and blankets."

"Anzu, does this story have a point?" Jonouchi asked, seemingly calmed down enough to return to the table. Anzu made a face at the blond.

"Yes, Jonouchi, and if you'd stop being rude, I'll get to it!"

"Sorry." Jonouchi said; hand in the air though he was forcing a smile, trying to gather some semblance of normalcy, though the action seemed hollow. "As I was saying, we fell asleep, but I woke up in the middle of the night, from what I thought was a flash of lightening. When I looked over, I saw a shadowed image of you Yami." Anzu looked the spirit in the eyes, her own blue orbs sparkling with excitement as she told her story. Yami blinked, trying to figure how any of that was possible.

_I could not take on a solid form out side of the Puzzle, in fact I couldn't even leave the shadows of my prison, until Yugi completed the Millennium Puzzle, so how… _

Yami felt a cold chill run down his spine as Anzu continued her story, assuming his odd expression was because she had seen him back then, and not because he'd found yet another mystery to his shattered memories.

"Wait, so you saw the Pharaoh _before_ Yug did?" Jonouchi asked in confusion, and Honda leaned in closer to the girl with a similar expression of disbelief.

"Yes. Of course, when I saw him, I thought it was he spirit of Yugi's deceased father." Anzu said thoughtfully, a finger placed to her chin. Honda blinked and Jonouchi snorted trying not to laugh while looking at Yami.

"You thought…" Yami paused feeling slightly ill at the concept and made a face, " that I was… his _father?" _

_She thought that my Aibou was… oh Ra. That just makes my feelings for him seem even more wrong…_ Yami sighed internally trying not to let his feelings show on his face.

But where Yami held it together, Jonouchi lost it. "Oh, that's great Anzu! The guy who's in love with Yugi is mistaken as… as…" Again Jonouchi started laughing, and Yami glared at the blonde trying not to comment.

Leave it to Jonouchi to totally wreck the mood, and grind salt into an aching wound.

"Well, I didn't know who he was! All I knew was an older looking Yugi in a white skirt had appeared, picked Yugi up in his arms and held him, before laying him back down like my mother or father would have done, and then covered him up with a blanket! I thought it was a ghost, and who else would be that close to Yugi and look like him?" Anzu said in her defense, red cheeked with her own embarrassment.

"Good point, but still, talk about a harsh blow to the ego." Jonouchi wiped his tearing eyes with the back of his hand and turned to face Yami, who was reclined against his seat, arms folded over his chest giving the two a bored look.

"If that story was supposed to cheer me up, it's not working." Yami stated sounding more like himself than he had since Yugi's disappearance. It caused both Jonouchi and Anzu to smile.

"Well, we tried." Jonouchi shrugged, making light of the situation and finally the tense atmosphere ebbed, at least, it would have, had Honda not suddenly gone deathly silent.

Yami noticed it first and turned to his friend, "Honda-kun, daijoubu ka?"

The brunette seemed to jump, his eyes darting to Yami's suspiciously, glaring lightly, causing the momentary happiness to fade quickly from the room.

"… you love Yugi? As in… _that _way?" The way Honda said the word _that _made it painfully obvious that the boy was not quite okay with the spirit's feelings and sexual preference.

Yami sighed as both Anzu and Jonouchi tensed. Yami clearly heard Jonouchi curse under his breath at his slip up and smiled slightly. He'd expected as much from Honda at least. The boy was a great friend but a terrible homophobe, Yami only hoped that it would not alter the friendship between his Aibou and the taller boy.

_Better clear the air up now. Explain that my feelings are one sided and end the confusion before it can escalate._

"Honda—" Yami began, his face and voice steady and calm as if he was playing a game, when he was unexpectedly interrupted.

"Yami!"

The sudden cry of alarm ended the budding conversation instantly, as the entire table stood to face the small dark haired boy approaching their table, brow covered in sweat.

"Mokuba? What's wrong?" Yami asked kneeling as the young Kaiba tripped before reaching their table. The long haired boy grabbed the spirit's hand with his own as Yami reached down to place a comforting hand on his shoulder.

Yami tried not to jump at the sudden contact and looked into the boy's frightened eyes as he caught his breath.

"Hurry… my brother… my brother made it to Isis and has some news!" Mokuba said in between gasps of breath and Yami felt his heart swell with painful hope.

"What? What did he find out Mokuba?" Yami asked in a voice that was deathly silent and Mokuba leaned back and away from him breaking contact.

"That's why I said to hurry, he's on a live feed."

"What? A live feed?" Jonouchi questioned scratching his head in incomprehension even as Mokuba jumped up and began pushing the four friends out of the restaurant and toward the parked limo.

"He's on a direct telephone uplink! He's waiting at my house to talk to all of you!"

Again the blond seemed not to understand what the child meant and stated as much, "Why would he waste money on a long distance call for you to—"

"Because it's a life or death situation here!" His shout seemed to make the entire restaurant quiet, and with its silence a heavy weight fell upon the three friends as they made their way to the car out front, the words echoing in their hearts.

_Life… or death…_ _Aibou…_

XXXX

Atemu lifted an eyebrow in amusement, not all surprised to see one of his guards standing before him holding the arm of one small slave while a very ink-stained priest bellowed at the top of his lungs in irate fury.

"This insolent pest destroyed the writings and my garments with his bumbling clumsiness _and _had the audacity to look me in the eye and speak directly to me! As if he was my equal! I demand—" Atemu had tuned the man out long ago, wondering if the priest even realized that he'd just demanded something from his god.

_He's probably too angered to know what he is saying… _Atemu rationalized as he turned his attention to the cowering slave held in the iron grasp of the burly guard.

Yugi's pale skin was still slightly pink from the sunburn he'd acquired and his shoulder still held a light dusty color of a fading bruise, but aside from that, and the scars on his back, the boy seemed to have healed well over the past week.

_No, not a boy, he is but a few years younger than myself…_ Atemu corrected himself with a puzzled expression.

That fact had startled the Pharaoh greatly when he'd spoken to Yugi a few days after Isis had released him from her care and he'd discovered that the boy was actually a young man.

_He looks like a child… _Atemu pondered his eyes drawing over Yugi as he dug his toe into the floor looking pitiful and small. The white cloth wrap that had been given to him hung from his thin hips and seemed to embarrass the youth greatly, and the simple golden arm band that showed he was a palace slave made his arms look slimmer than they really were. Not to mention that his large, innocent eyes made him look like a small animal.

_Yes… a small pet that gets into _everything_… _Atemu thought darkly, lifting a hand to his temple to sooth his light headache as his priest continued to scream. _This is the disaster that he brings… his shadow magic is a farce, his true power is the ability to destroy even the simplest of tasks…_

It was true, in the three days that Yugi had been a palace slave, Atemu had been called to serve punishment to him at least fourteen times. _Fifteen… _Atemu mentally corrected, taking in the ink stains before him. _How did he manage that one? _

Yugi had broken vases, ran into higher officials, slept in, looked several people in the eyes, spoke out of turn, torn the linens, fallen asleep in a patch of sunlight while cleaning the throne room—which Atemu found quite amusing actually—and had been caught eating Atemu's—rare—grapes and dates. Now, he had somehow managed to trip and spill the ink his priest had been using, to write down the days proceedings, all over the papyrus and the man's white robes. And had Mahado not been there, this irate priest would have killed Yugi on the spot.

"Alright, I will deal with the slave, why don't you return to your duties priest." Atemu stated when the man turned to yell and point his finger at Yugi, and from the look on Yugi's face he was about to speak out of turn again.

"But pr-aA, I want to—"

"You _want?_" Atemu asked smoothly sitting up straighter in his seat, his shift seemed to snap the man from his current stupidity and he quieted, his lips thinning into a straight line as he turned and left swiftly through the doorway.

Atemu listened to the angered footfalls of the priest until he was sure that the man was a far enough distance away before turning to the guard and slave. Yugi was looking at his feet pouting cutely and Atemu rolled his eyes signaling to his guard to release Yugi and for him to leave. The man did so with out a word and left the same way the priest had, though much less indignantly.

Silence filled the room for a while as Atemu finished up a few more of his written duties and Yugi continued to glare at his toes. "Are you going to explain yourself, or simply wait to be punished?" Atemu asked, finally placing his styles down and looking at Yugi again.

"It wasn't my fault."

"Oh, how so?" Atemu asked relaxing into his chair to hear out Yugi's explanation. As he expected, Yugi looked up and into his eyes, again breaking the rules of stature, as he raised his voice, arms arcing wildly around as he defended his case.

"I was supposed to be cleaning the floors! That was my punishment for falling asleep while cleaning your throne room!" Yugi cried, and Atemu's lips quirked into a smile in remembrance of finding the little one curled up in that patch of golden sun light, head cradled in his arms as his upper body rested on the seat of his throne. Any other slave would have been whipped for their insolence, but Yugi was simply given the task of cleaning all the floors in the palace instead, of course that was given silently so as not to alert the council of Atemu's liking of the minuet slave.

_If Seth knew I was giving special treatment to Yugi…_ Atemu chose not to dwell on those thoughts for too long. The man was dangerous to Atemu's sanity to begin with, he didn't need any more ammunition against him.

"So, I was cleaning the floors, and then he calls out to me, of course I don't know he's talking to me because he yells out, "You slave!" and there's about six of us in the room! So of course, I don't answer right away, so he stalks over and grabs me by my hair yelling at me, and throws me over to get some more ink and I trip over _his _stupid coat, and knock over the ink which in turn drenches him and then he yells at me because he jerks his hand and ruins his painting!" Yugi was breathing harshly now, his cheeks flushed with his aggravation and Atemu lifted an eyebrow when Yugi suddenly deflated and whimpered, "…and now the floors are dirty again…"

Atemu could help it, he laughed. The sound echoed in the small room as he covered his eyes with his hands. "What am I going to do with you?" Atemu asked, and looked up to see Yugi shrink further into himself, and he shook his head, smile still on his face. "You're a disaster to my palace and those with in it, and if you're not careful you'll get yourself into serious trouble."

"But, Yami, I really don't mean to do it! I'm trying really hard it's just—" Yugi was cut off by the amused smile Atemu sent his way. The Pharaoh refrained from bringing up the nickname, having grown fond of it over the past few days and shook his head once more.

"I guess there is only one thing left to do."

"Huh? What's that?" Yugi asked confused, moving forward and leaning his arms and head on Atemu's desk as if he belonged there. The Pharaoh said nothing about it, and picked up his styles and began to work once more.

"Make you a personal slave that attends only to me. It will save you from my priests and other officials, and save them from you and your blunders."

"Yami!" Yugi cried out in indignation and the Pharaoh smiled gently patting Yugi on the head as if he was consoling a small child. Yugi seemed to realize that and jerked his head away, standing and stomping over to a corner of the room where he sat down and refused to look at Atemu.

"Little one, what are you doing?"

"I'm not talking to you."

Atemu blinked, taken aback by the rude bluntness of Yugi's dismissal. _He's not, talking to me? _Atemu was insulted and asked again in a firmer voice demanding respect, "What did you just say?"

"I said, I am _not _talking to _you_!" Yugi said, turning around and sticking his tongue out for emphasis before turning away again. Atemu gaped unsure of how to react to Yugi's behavior. A part of him wanted to laugh at it, finding it childish and somewhat cute, but the other side of him, the part that was raised to be the ruler of Kehmet, wanted retribution.

"Why are you not speaking to me?" Atemu tried, deciding to take a neutral path between his two feelings and was met with a comment from the back of Yugi's head.

"Because you are a _baka,_ that's why."

_Baka? First Yami, now baka? Where does he come up with these weird names. _Atemu rolled his eyes bored with Yugi's games and returned to his work. "Whatever, fine, just stay put, and don't leave the room with out me."

Yugi didn't bother answering, and Atemu returned to his work. Silence filled the crevices of the room, only the sound of swishing ink and brush strokes punctuated the stillness.

Atemu was so engrossed in his work, trying to ignore the one across from him, who seemed to be more trouble than he was worth, that he didn't notice that Yugi had moved until the small slave was once again crouched before his desk, his amethyst eyes glaring over the edge of it.

Atemu froze a moment refusing to look up and acknowledge the slave in front of him, aware that he was sinking just as low as the other was in childishness, but he simply couldn't stop himself.

_Whatever he is playing at, I will not fall for it… _

"You're supposed to say, "I'm sorry," now." Yugi stated, and Atemu jerked his gaze up glaring furiously into the hardened eyes of his slave.

"What?" Atemu quietly demanded, his anger growing by the moment. There was no way that Yugi could possibly expect _him_, a pharaoh of Kehmet, to admit that he was wrong and _apologize _to a slave.

_He's out of his mind if he thinks that I am going to—_

"You hurt my feelings, and I'm ignoring you, so _you_ have to say sorry to me, so I can say sorry back, so we can stop fighting!" Yugi stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, and Atemu pulled back a ways, lost as to what his look alike was talking about.

_What? Is he…_

Yugi sunk lower until only the tips of his fingers and eyes were visible and spoke again, his voice taking on a slight wine, sounding years younger than what he was. "So, say your sorry."

Atemu sat and blinked. Yugi was actually trying to get him to apologize so that they could make up, like equals. The thought was preposterous, and yet, made sense.

_No one has ever tried to be my equal… no one has dared to assume that they ever were… but, he does…_

Atemu met the younger one's eyes, finding them no longer angry but filled with mirth and anticipation and smirked in realization.

_He's playing a game with me… Well then, lets see who will win this match._

"Is that so? But I believe you are the one who started this argument by ruining my priest's clothes." Atemu shot back, crossing his arms waiting for Yugi's next move.

The boy's eyes glittered with excitement as he rose a bit higher smirking right back. "Yes, but it was because of the punishment you gave me that I was in that room to begin with."

"There are many rooms in the palace, you didn't have to clean that one." Atemu shot back and watched Yugi pout.

"Well, if I was allowed back into the throne room I would have cleaned that one first. Besides, that was the last room left to clean."

Atemu smirked, this battle could continue forever, and he still had work to do. "Well, you wouldn't have been punished if you hadn't used my throne as your pillow."

"And I wouldn't have fallen asleep if I'd been allowed to sleep earlier that night."

_This really needs to stop… _ Atemu thought with a chuckle, well aware that if he continued with this little battle, that he would not get any work done, and the boy would not be re-stationed as his personal slave by the time the day ended. So for the first time ever the Pharaoh conceded, to a tie.

"Well, then why not agree that we are both at fault and forget the whole ordeal?" Atemu purposed, only to have Yugi brush it aside.

"But you called me a menace, not in so many words but still you said, "I will make you my personal slave. That way you are safe from my priests and ministers and they are safe from you and your blunders." I want an apology."

"You called me a baka, so I think we are even." Atemu shot back both amused and galled at the fact that the boy blushed in embarrassment and guilt at his rebuttal, and suddenly, Atemu wanted to know what that word meant.

"Fine, we are both wrong… so we say it together." Yugi said, standing, and Atemu watched him with curious crimson eyes.

_He never stops. _

"Fine."

Standing as well they both looked each other in the eyes and simultaneously replied, "antyw iwit. I am sorry."

Atemu broke into a smile as Yugi giggled, things were definitely different with the smaller one around. Whether that was a good or bad thing was yet to be known, but all the same, things were different.

XXXX

The sun was hot on his back, scorching old burns uncomfortably and warming healing wounds to a slightly painful point. Yugi quickened his pace as he darted away from the palace and toward the Nile river that ran not far from its eastern wall. _The sand sure is hot… and its not even noon yet. _Yugi thought sadly, glad that he'd chosen to leave now instead of later for his bath.

Yugi was sure he was supposed to ask someone first before bathing, but he figured since Yami was his new and only boss now, and since he was currently busy with his advisor—discussing his tomb layout, which personally creeped Yugi out—that he could take his break now and tend to a few menial tasks that really needed to be done. Such as, bathing.

_You'd think that they'd have the decency to give the slaves a bathing area at least, if only to keep from smelling us themselves… _Yugi whined to himself as he cautiously looked around the area to be sure that no one was watching, before stripping out of his skirt and slipping out of his boxers—which he'd refused to go without—and scrambled through the reeds to get into the cool water of the Nile.

Yugi shivered at the drastic temperature change before crouching down to submerge himself in the cool water. The current was a steady pull and soothed around his body, burning his still healing scars lightly and causing his sun burn to itch, and Yugi wondered what exactly was floating in the water aside from fish and other water creature poop. _Are there fish in the Nile?_

Yugi looked around the water that he was crouched in, for fish, curious as to whether there would be any. He was sure that there would be at least a few, but one could never be too certain.

As he searched, Yugi had a nagging feeling that there was something he was supposed to remember about the Nile and its wild life, but it escaped his mind for the time being, and he shrugged the thought off. _Oh, well, I'll just quickly wash up… _

Glancing at his clothes, Yugi wondered if he should wash his boxers, feeling rather dirty having his old ones still un-cleaned after two weeks. _But, if they're wet, I'll have let them dry some where, and its hard enough hiding my clothes in that room that everyone sleeps in…_

Yugi debated with his options as he splashed the water up him and scrubbed with his palms at his shoulders and front. The servants quarters, were basically a large room with some sheets tossed about. In the dead of night the only thing that kept one warm was the body heat of everyone packed in together and the light sheet that was given. Yugi assumed it was because he looked so young that it was a guarantee that he had a blanket very night and had used that sheet to hide his clothes.

He'd found a hole in the wall near the corner of the door, and managed to slip his rolled up blanket and clothes into there during the day. So far, no one had caught him hiding it, or found it, so Yugi figured it was as safe a place as any, but he doubted highly that wet boxers would go unnoticed, let alone dry in such a place. _Guess I'm stuck with dirty underwear until I do Yami's laundry… maybe I could do my own while I'm at it… _Yugi made a disgusted face, not too thrilled with the prospect of waiting to wash his clothes, but left with no other option, he dunked below the surface of the water, shaking his head and scratching at his scalp in an attempt to rid it of the built up gunk from the past several days. _No telling when I'll get another chance to do this… _Yugi thought, mind running off his meaningless tasks from that morning after Yami had made him his personal slave.

He'd done nothing but follow Yami around, fanning him while he sat in his throne room, and serving him his food and watching while some dancing girl fed the grapes to him. Personally the sight had sickened him, but Yugi was having a hard time explaining just why the sight of his Yami being hand-fed by some sexy girl made him want to vomit. _He looked like such a snob… not like Yami at all… and that girl… it was like watching some erotica movie or something! Is it like an art here to try an get into the Pharaoh's pants? No wonder Yami's so hands off-ish, he must get molested all the time… though being molested by a girl like that… I sure as hell wouldn't mind that…_

Yugi stood shaking the water from his hair with an embarrassed laugh feeling his face heat from his own perverted thoughts, and rubbed at his face ridding it of its grimy feel, completely unaware of the rippling of the water across the river from himself.

XXXX

The sun was still climbing its way up in the sky and already Saimun was at it. Trying to speak to the Pharaoh of his death day and would-be crypt. Mahado sighed, trying not to be annoyed with the elderly man, knowing he meant well, but worried all the same that he was wasting valuable daytime speaking upon a day that everyone looked to with unease and fear.

"If we can make it a game room with several tasks, it would make tomb robbing near impossible, and put a stop to Bakura's annoying little raids."

Mahado could see the Pharaoh's eyebrow raise at the word _little _and knew he was thinking the same thing as he at that moment. _Bakura's raids are anything but little. Not to mention the man will be dead or too old to rob by the time pr-aA is laid to rest. Hopefully at least. _

Atemu sighed, and lifted a hand to his head, pointing that fact out to Saimun, to which, the elderly man quickly tried to recover ground and convince his young Pharaoh that he was correct in his layout and idea. Mahado turned away from the two, and lazily looked out across the palace ground. From his position he could clearly see the rounded bend of the Nile, sparkling in the sun. It was a calming sight, and a soft smile lifted his lips.

The life barer was majestic and beautiful, it was a shame that it was so dangerous that one had to constantly watch out for predators such as the crocodile.

As if summoned by the mere thought, Mahado's eyes focused on the beast of the water. It was a young one, by the looks of its size, and from the way it floated—its nose and eyes just visible above the surface of the water—it was hunting.

Usually, such a sight would not alarm him, nor cause any interest, the prey most likely a stray animal or bird stupid enough to linger in the water, but for reasons he didn't know, Mahado had a sinking feeling that something was wrong. He walked away from the two arguing men, and tried to see further down the Nile for the unsuspecting victim of the water hunter. The reeds grew more thickly the further down he got, and it was near impossible to see anything.

"Mahado? What is wrong?" The question from Atemu drew his attention away for a moment and his eye caught on a flash of white. Turning back, Mahado recognized the white flash to have been a wide strip of bleached cloth, a servants attire. Not just that, but as he glanced back, he caught sight of an oddly colored bundle of cloth as well. _Yugi…_

"Mahado?"

"Pr-aA!" Mahado swung around, his heart pounding in his chest, the boy was going to be eaten. Atemu lifted a startled eyebrow at his outburst, and waited for his explanation. "The boy, Yugi, he's in the Nile!"

Atemu took a moment, not comprehending what Mahado was trying to tell him, before the implications sunk in, and the Pharaoh's face paled considerably.

"Oh Ra!" Atemu muttered several curses under his breath as he darted past Mahado tearing down toward the river bed, Mahado quickly on his heels. _That boy just attracts evil and bad luck… _

XXXX

A sudden sound of yelling, and running feet, startled Yugi, and he jumped turning around as the reeds blocking him were torn back and Atemu burst through, his tanned skin glistening with sweat, his crimson eyes hard with determination.

"Nani—! " Yugi cried out, immediately moving to cover himself, when Atemu suddenly rushed at him yanking him from the water and rushing back to the land just as a sloshing of water sounded from behind.

Yugi blinked, from over Atemu's shoulder, he could see the glowering crocodile snapping its jaws and shivered unwittingly gripping his savior around the neck tightly. _… that's what I was forgetting… the Nile is dangerous due to the crocodile infestation… what a fact to forget._

Yugi swallowed hard, still getting over the initial shock of his near attack when he became aware of the heavy breathing of the chest he was pressed to, held bridal style.

"Yami?" Yugi asked, looking up at the regal face that was currently slack jawed, breathing heavily.

"That was much too close for my liking, young one. What were you doing out here? Did I not tell you to wait in my work room for my return?" Atemu turned his crimson eyes back down to Yugi's, reprimanding him for his carelessness and Yugi instantly felt bad for disobeying his yami, but the feeling quickly shifted to angered indignation and he pouted, lowering his head and looking up through his lashes.

"I decided to take my break. So, I figured since I can't bathe anywhere else I may as well clean myself in the only water source available!" Yugi yelled back, only then reminded of his naked state when a stray breeze drifted over his lower half.

"A break? What do you mean… "break"?" Atemu's question fell on deaf ears as Yugi's eyes widened in fear and deep red rose to his face. He was laying, naked, and wet, in Atemu's arms. _Oh my god… Kami-sama…._ _Yami can see my…_

"Yugi?" Atemu asked concerned, leaning closer to him, and Yugi made a gurgling sound, frozen from his embarrassment. "Young one, what is the matter? Are you hurt?"

Yugi's mind blanked out, flashes of his dream running through his mind, and numbing his body. _Heated hands… stifled moans, bodies pressing, sliding, joining, straining, releasing, returning. Lips kissing tender sensitive flesh, hips pressing and rubbing together, bare skin touching sweaty skin in a desperate friction…_

"Yugi!"

The cry and sharp shake broke Yugi from his tortured thoughts and he looked up fearfully into Atemu's eyes, and broke from his frozen immobility.

"AH!" Yugi cried out flinging back and out of Atemu's strong grip falling to the ground and covering his body as best as he possibly could with his hands curling in on himself.

Sure there were public bathes in Japan, but Yugi had never had to be in one, and in the gym class no one was seriously looking at you while you showered down. So the naked barrier was still high and strong in Yugi's mind.

"Yugi, what's the matter—"

"Hentai!" Atemu blinked curiously, and Yugi looked up, glaring, grabbing his clothes from the ground and covering himself, pointing a finger up and into Atemu's face. "You are a pervert!"

The expression on the Pharaoh's face was priceless as yet again, he was dragged into a childish argument all thoughts of rescue and gratitude forgotten

completely.

XXXX

Atemu raised an eyebrow at the blushing boy, seated next to the edge of his bath, washing cloth held in shaking hands, golden bangs covering his amethyst eyes.

_He's uncomfortable with nakedness? _

Atemu tried not to laugh at the little one's discomfort, finding it amusing that he could be so uncomfortable with the body. Since Yugi was his personal slave, he took on the duties of helping him to bathe, as well as other menial tasks, but this one seemed to be the worst for the small boy, who had yet to touch him with the cloth.

_It's not like anything will happen to him… I just need assistance with my back and shoulders… _That was a half lie, his servants were to wash him down completely, but again he was letting Yugi off the hook, and he didn't quite know why.

He shook his head not wishing to think of his uncharacteristic actions, and caught Yugi's jump. A smirk crossed his face as Yugi blushed, and a fun little game began to shape itself in his mind. A game was much more interesting than his own actions. 

Atemu, turned around, crossing his arms on the lip of the basin and smiled up at Yugi, one large hand raising to grab Yugi's trembling one. After the near attack that afternoon, and Yugi's ungrateful display, Atemu couldn't help but want a bit of revenge.

When Yugi's wide amethyst eyes met his own crimson stare, Atemu smirked, his thumb brushing over Yugi's knuckles, causing the boy to nervously jump, and Atemu had to force back a laugh, as the boy's blush grew deeper.

"What's the matter, _Yugi_?" Atemu whispered, and saw the boy draw in a quick breath of air. Atemu leaned up closer, nearly standing up from the water till his forehead touched Yugi's playfully and finally he let some mirth into his tone as he asked, "Like what you see?"

He could practically see Yugi's mind comprehend his question as the boy very nearly, leaped from his seated position sputtering like mad. "N..n—n—no! I-I mean… yes! No, wait! I—I'm not gay! But I…. what?" Yugi cried desperately looking as scarlet as Atemu's eyes, and the Pharaoh collapsed into laughter, enjoying the flustered look on the small slave.

_It's much to easy to rile him… _

"Calm down, little one, I was only teasing you." Atemu said when Yugi still had yet to cease looking like the setting sun and turned back to sit in the water. "There is nothing to be shamed about. We both are men, so nothing is different between us. And you are only required to scrub my back and shoulders, so there is no need to fret over whatever it is you are fearing."

Atemu chanced a look over his shoulder, and watched as the boy slowly scowled, moving closer to the basin's edge, sitting with his feet in the water once more.

Yugi seemed angry as he jammed his fist into the water before pulling up the wet cloth and moving to scrub at Atemu's back.

"Ouch! Little one, I did not say I needed you to skin me alive!" Atemu snapped and felt Yugi's movements slow, and the scrubbing became more pleasant.

"Sorry…" Yugi really didn't sound so, but Atemu let it slide. Silence fell over them for a while, and slowly, the uncomfortable atmosphere shifted as Yugi began to talk about random things, and finally he relaxed as conversation broke in.

"I think I might actually get a tan Yami… my burn just seems to get worse everyday." Yugi said with a half mocking pout and Atemu smiled, lifting his arms to rest on Yugi's knees as he leaned back and felt Yugi fumble a moment before shakily scrubbing at his chest in the same massaging circles.

"However you managed to stay so white all this time, is beyond me, what did you do, live in a cave all your life?" Atemu asked, and locked eyes with Yugi as the smaller boy stuck out his tongue.

"Bite me."

_What? _

Atemu sat up confused, and gave Yugi a questioning stare, to which the little one seemed not to understand. "Yami? What's wrong?"

"Why do you want me to… bite you?" Atemu asked, watching as slowly realization dawned and the slave blinked cutely at him before smacking his head into his hand with a low groan of discomfort.

"No… I didn't mean… it's just an… expression… uh… it's like… like…" Yugi trailed off, his hands held before him as though he could carve an explanation from the air. His expression was that of panic and annoyance as he tried desperately to explain himself.

Atemu inwardly chuckled at the boy's discomfort as he outwardly showed no emotion, simply waiting for his answer.

_He probably insulted me again… _The thought should have brought scathing anger to him, but it didn't, and Atemu found himself feeling rather amused by Yugi's antics.

"… ah damn… look it's like—"

"pr-aA!" The exclamation made Yugi jump and he dropped the rag to the ground swinging to look at the door, and Atemu was half surprised that the little one had not fallen into the bath with him.

"Mahado, what is wrong?" Atemu asked, standing up from his bath, looking sideways at Yugi wondering if the other would remember that it was his duty to bring him cover now, but from the wide-eyed expression that he was giving his priest, Atemu doubted he remembered at all. "Yugi, my drying cloth." Atemu encouraged, and saw Yugi spring to life, face turning red as he bolted to the said item returning and handing it out to him, head bowed low.

Atemu choked back a laugh and took the item, deciding not to remind Yugi that he was the one that was supposed to dry him down, and instead wrapped the towel about his hips.

"pr-aA, the shadows, they are out of control again." Mahado said, bowed low in respect, and Atemu made an angered sound in the back of his throat, hurriedly making his way toward his clothes.

"Are Seth and the other's there?"

"Yes, but they need your help." Mahado informed following Atemu while he changed and made his way toward the door, hand resting on his puzzle.

For just a moment he paused, his crimson eyes trailing over to his puzzle's duplicate, watching as it sparkled dully, glowing in the shadow of the room, as the sun faded from the sky.

_It is the time of the shadows, and the power of magic is in their favor… _

Atemu turned from it quickly, noticing the way that Yugi looked at 'his' millennium item, small hand raising to rub at his chest sadly, but that was all he did before turning and following Atemu from the room. Atemu relaxed finding comfort in the knowledge that Yugi was indeed trust worthy, before placing his mind and attention solely on the battle that was to take place.

_The shadow realm is becoming a problem in and of itself… I wonder if its power is worth it?_

XXXX

Yugi had to run to keep up with the long stride of his other and Mahado. His heart thundered inside of his chest, the words ringing in his ears. _The shadow realm is… out of control? _ Yugi shuddered, not all that comfortable with the thought of the darkness that Yami held control over. Yugi had always been slightly afraid of the cold realm of death and pain, and had only managed to calm his fears by the thought that they could not touch him as long as Yami was there to protect him from them.

But here, now, in this time, Yami was Pharaoh, and he was living and breathing in his first life. So, did that mean that, he was still in control of the darkness of the world? Or was he only as good as any other human being taught in the dark magics?

Through the halls they moved and turned, until Yugi had forgotten which direction he'd been coming from, and then suddenly they had entered a dark, candle lit room, though to Yugi's eyes the lights gave only pinpoints of direction as though the darkness consumed its brightness and warmth.

Instantly, Yugi became aware that someone had opened this room to the shadow realm, and that he, along with Mahado and Yami had just stepped into it as well.

Instantly, Yugi's breath became labored and his chest tight as his mind seemed to separate from his body, as though the darkness wanted to devour his very soul. Yugi froze, his body shaking with the effort to simply exist, and Yugi was swiftly reminded of his duel with Pegasus at Duelist Kingdom, and felt his fear rise.

He'd nearly died then… would it happen once more?

"pr-aA!" A voice called out in the darkness, and Yugi thought for a moment that it was Seto, but in the next instant he'd forgotten the voice completely, eyes darting to the deeper shadows that shifted in the blackness curling into smoke-like shapes that shifted toward the people gathered in the realm of darkness.

Yugi shivered, his insides telling him to escape from the depths of the shadows. Yugi quaked, something was warning him, like a light scream that twanged through his mind, echoing there and turning his insides cold. _Something's wrong… I … I shouldn't be here… with out Yami inside me… I can't… I can't stay…_

A deathly quiet-still, ran over Yugi, and when he looked up, aware of it, Yugi found himself staring out across a deep blackness, the shadows looking back at him, and he had the distinct feeling that they were not pleased with what they saw.

Yugi let out a startled cry as the monsters moved toward him, their bodiless forms snarling in an echoing quality that caused Yugi's skin to crawl. His arms lifted to block his face, and Yugi was aware of a dim light that seemed to glow from in front of him, until a sharp cry and a buffet of wind forced his mind to shift from the question of where the light was coming from.

"Mahado, get him out of here!" Yami's voice sounded strained and Yugi chanced opening his eyes, in time to catch a glimpse of Obelisk standing before him, guarding Yugi—his form clear in comparison to the other shadow monsters—obviously under the command of Yami, and then he was wrapped up in the white cloak that Mahado wore, his arms lifting Yugi up from the ground and carrying him from the room.

The jolting, running steps carried Yugi far from the battle and back through the winding hallways, and for a long time Yugi remained frozen and silent, until, once more in Yami's chambers, he snapped from his trance and struggled in Mahado's arms.

"No! Yami, he'll… he'll need my help!" Yugi cried, only to be dropped onto the surprisingly soft bedding below. Yugi bolted up, sliding across the sheets, not caring much as his 'skirt' rode up showing off his boxers, only to be stopped by the restraining arm of the white priest, and Yugi jerked his eyes up to meet the steady, deep, gaze of the man above him.

"Atemu will be fine, small Yugi. It is you that is not safe in that place." The deep resonate voice, and the sharp features of the face, were recognizable to Yugi, and he narrowed his eyes, thinking of how he knew Mahado, and gasped in shock, leaning back, sitting down on the bed's edge.

"Dark Magician…?" Yugi whispered, his voice paper thin, and watched as the white priest made a face turning away for a moment. "You are! You're the Dark Magician… but, if that is you then how is it that you are, alive?" Yugi asked, only to receive a slow shake of Mahado's head.

"I am not sure, Yugi. I have never been called by that name, aside from your mouth, and I have never become a creature of shadows… until I met you." Mahado said, emphasizing that Yugi was being blamed for a number of oddities that seemed to be springing up with his appearance.

Yugi swallowed, looking down at his hands. The still silence was quickly broken by the angered and heavy foot falls of Yami as he burst through the entrance, crimson eyes narrowed, his entire body ridged, hands fisted tightly. Yugi blinked up, a happy smile at seeing the Pharaoh's safe return, but at Yami's withering glare, Yugi found himself quickly looking away.

"Leave." Yami said, turning his look to Mahado, and Yugi jumped at it's angered tone, suddenly fearing Mahado's departure. _Why is he so angry? Have I done something…? Am I in trouble for following him?_

Yugi balled his hands in his lap, amethyst eyes trailing over the pattern of his underwear as, from the corner of his eye, he saw Mahado bow low, casting Yugi a sad glance before walking from the room as his god had commanded.

Silence remained until the sound of Mahado's footsteps were no longer audible. Then, Yami spoke.

"What are you, Yugi?"

Yugi jumped at the harsh undertone, and bit his lip, speaking in a voice he hoped sounded steady. "What do you mean, Yami, I—"

"You were glowing, Yugi! _Glowing! _Inside of the shadow realm, where light cannot exist, so tell me, Yugi, how did you do that?" Yami was nearly bellowing at him, and Yugi shrunk back, curling into a tight ball pressing his face into his knees. _So, I was the light…_ Yugi thought feeling like laughing hysterically as his mind tried to take in everything that had happened, while he felt Yami's, no, not Yami, Atemu's eyes glaring into his back waiting for his answer. _He isn't Yami… Yami knows who and what I am… I am.. his hikari… his light… his Akhu… and he, Yami would never… never…_

"Answer me, slave!"

Yugi jerked feeling pain fill his chest, and looked sorrowfully into enraged crimson, and felt his heart constrict. "You would not believe me… even if I told you." Yugi stated sadly, and watched as his words caused Atemu's eyes to narrow more.

"What?"

Yugi remained silent, until he felt Atemu's presence draw closer to him and tensed, waiting for another yell, and was surprised, when instead, Atemu grabbed him by the arm pulling him up to stare into his eyes in, his voice deathly quiet as he whispered for only Yugi to hear. "Tell me, and I will decide whether or not _I_ believe you."

Yugi swallowed, his mouth now cotton dry, and he nodded dumbly frowning and turning away once more. "I… I'm from Japan. It's a string of Islands connected together just off, and slightly south, of the coast of China. I'm from the future… uhh… I will not be born for three thousand years…" Yugi trailed off searching Atemu's eyes to see if the Pharaoh believed him or not. Atemu's face was stony, giving nothing away, and so Yugi looked aside setting his features, hands clenching till his nails dug into his palm as he pressed forward. There was really nothing left to lose but his freedom, and whether he really had that anymore was debatable. "I live with my grandfather, my mother being busy most times with work. My grandfather owns a game shop, and I found a… 'game' from Egypt… uh, Kehmet… it was a golden puzzle, said to be cursed by the soul of an ancient Pharaoh, who died for his people. For three thousand years he'd been trapped in the shadow realm, his light half, stolen from him.

"I was allowed to keep it, and after eight years, I solved it, and freed the spirit, who possessed my body bringing justice to those who have caused wrong. After a time, I became aware of him, and we became partners. Yami and I. Well, Yami couldn't remember his past, and in an attempt to try and recover his lost memories, I was somehow thrown back here into his past…" Yugi let his story fade away as he met Atemu's strong gaze, finishing in a whisper. "For Yami, I am his light. Ba and Ka… kkwy and Akhu… Hikari and Yami."

Yugi felt his lower lip tremble when Atemu's face still held no emotion, the look hurting Yugi deep, afraid that his own darkness would not believe him. _Yami… I, I feel so alone, Yami… you are here… but you aren't here. Please, come find me… please._

"Prove it."

"Huh?" Yugi asked, startled by the request as, finally, Atemu lowered Yugi back to the edge of the bed, though his hand was still wrapped around his upper arm, the grip no less intense, and Yugi breathed deeply, scrubbing at his eyes with his free arm before meeting Atemu's steely gaze, his own amethyst orbs locking with Atemu's crimson, staring him down with the truth.

He could think of no way to prove himself to his yami, aside from one. Though it seemed highly unlikely that his proof would stand up to Atemu's reasoning. _There is no other way… please… please trust me Yami… please._

Yugi took a deep breath, calming his insides before speaking in the language he missed more than life itself, "Mou Hitori no Boku, onegai, ore wa, anata no hikari. Shinjite." Yugi spoke softly, watching as crimson eyes widened, and golden hands tightened painfully around his arm, pressing his golden band into his pale flesh, causing the mineral to bite into his skin. Yugi never flinched, but smiled softly, feeling tears raise to his eyes, "You taught me hieratic, Yami. You protected me, all these years, Mou Hitori no Boku. Please… don't leave me now."

Yugi held his breath, waiting for Atemu's conviction, for any word from his mouth. Yugi watched as slowly, the head lowered, crimson eyes hidden behind golden bangs as his hand slipped away from Yugi's arm, sliding down to cover Yugi's hand, and Yugi couldn't help but wonder if that action was one of pity, or comfort.

Then, Atemu looked up.

And Yugi cried.

_Yami… Mou Hitori no Boku…_

(Ending Theme: "Night Flowers")

_I'm wandering lost in the land of love;_

_please come find me._

_I hide my heart_

_that I thought I'd already wore the wings off of._

_The thousands of petals_

_which color my heart_

_make me yearn for you, almost sadly_

_Once more_

_Mirage that slips through my fingers_

_the moment I grasp it..._

_I want to steal away all of you._

_Brandishing a frozen knife,_

_love dances, scattering the night flowers_

_Love, comfort, let go - even my heart..._

_Feel it more intensely_

_If it's destiny,_

_then I don't need peace or warmth._

_Brandishing a frozen knife,_

_love dances, scattering the night flowers_

_Break, injure, seal it away - even my heart..._

_Love me more intensely_

**Translation:**

**Mou Hitori no Boku: The other me**

**Mou Hitori no Boku, onegai, ore wa, anata no hikari. Shinjiru Ore: the other me, please, I am your light. Believe me. (Grammar may be off, like the sentence structure… if it is please let me know. X-X)**

**Hikari: Light**

**Yami: dark**

**kkwy: dark**

**Akhu: Light**


	8. Chapter 7

**A.N. I'll Update later.**

_**Chapter Seven**_

The house was quiet now that night had fallen. Dark shadows encased the walls and traveled over the floorboards and up the stairs to the silent rooms of the home above the Kame Game Shop.

From his position on the couch, Yami could see the stairs that lead to the bedrooms. He stared dully at the wall and the railing, his mind closed off, simply listening to hollow echo of his link.

He felt cold.

Deep inside of his chest, he seemed to be aching for something that burned him alive with icy flames, and Yami didn't try anything to stop it. Some part of his mind knew he was being foolish, and selfish. Knew that his loss was also that of his and Yugi's friends, and that Sugoroku was suffering just as badly as he was. Even so, Yami could hardly manage to keep up a strong face. In fact, since the accident at the museum, Yami had avoided the elderly Mouto, not wishing to face his reincarnated adviser. Not wanting to understand that his pain was not all consuming.

No, right at this moment, Yami didn't want to understand. He didn't want to be brave, and more than anything else, he didn't want to be told how useless he truly was.

…_Isis… how can you expect me to… to simply sit around and wait? How can you say that… that Yugi… is… is nothing… but a pawn! _

Yami glared, choking on a sob, his hands clenching, fingernails biting into the skin of his palm harshly. It was just as it had been back in the twisted battle against Dartz, except this time, he had no way to get his light back. All Yami could do was wait. Wait until Yugi died.

_I won't! I won't let him! _

Yami felt his heart rate pick up with denial and fear. He knew he had to accept it, but he couldn't. He just couldn't believe that in order for him to survive, Yugi had to die in the past.

Yami turned onto his back, one arm flopping over his eyes tiredly as he replayed the events that had taken place at the Kaiba mansion.

_The underground room hummed with the sound of electrical equipment, that seemed to make the heavy atmosphere laden with tension and grief. For a long time no one spoke, too shocked by the implications, made by the image of the CEO on the large computer monitor, to react much._

_ It was Jonouchi who finally managed to break the spell of silence, his voice harsh and demanding as always, though it wavered unsteadily with his continued concern. _

_ "What do you mean, Kaiba? You can't really mean that, Yugi… that he has to…"_

_ "Look, I don't like being called a lair, mutt! That is exactly what Isis found and told me." Kaiba snapped, obviously as put out as the rest of the group was at being unable to repay the debt he owed to the small Mutou. "She said that Yugi was the light that sealed away the destruction of the Shadow realm."_

_ "But-!" Anzu cried out, her eyes darting to Yami in concern, blue eyes softening when she saw his with drawn features. "Yami was the one who sealed the darkness away by sacrificing his soul! That's why he was in the puzzle in the first place! So, how can Yugi be the one to do that if Yami was the one who was sealed?"_

_ "What do I look like, an answer box?" Kaiba growled, his glare deepening. Once more silence fell, only this time to be broken by Yami._

_ "Light cannot exist in the Shadow Realm. The shadows would destroy it to keep the light from destroying them." Yami words were even and slow, sounding as confident as ever, though his eyes seemed dull and listless; lost. _

_ Everyone's attention was trained on Yami, waiting for his further explanation, as even Kaiba seemed interested in what he had to say, regardless of how absurd the whole ordeal appeared to be. _

_ "If Yugi were to seal away the shadows, it would destroy him… because it would be his soul that bound the darkness. The shadows could still be a problem, and I… I would gladly give my life to make sure his dying act was not in vain." Yami said with conviction, and everyone heaved a silent breath, turning away, refusing to look at each other._

_ "Well, whatever, the fact is, according to Isis's stories, Exodia, the shadow of death was set free, and the light restrained it, thus destroying the light, and then the Pharaoh sealed away the dark magic finally realizing that the shadow realm was much too dangerous, blah, blah, blah, and here we are." Kaiba said, his voice sounding more aggravated with every word, until finally he was very nearly losing his cool._

_ "So… how can we save Yugi?" The timid question came from Honda, who, up until that time had been dead silent, and Anzu and Jonouchi looked from their brunette friend, to the icy-eyed Kaiba, and then back again when Kaiba didn't answer._

_ "We can't."_

_ "What? Yami, what the hell are you saying man?" Jonouchi cried, turning to the spirit in disbelief, only to find his shoulders still hunched in despair, his entire being screaming defeat._

_ Yami didn't answer, and finally, Jonouchi broke. He made his way over, intending to knock some sense into his friend, only to be beaten to it by Honda. The sickening sound of flesh hitting flesh, startled Jonouchi, and he blinked in surprise when he saw Honda slug Yami across the face sending him to the ground, but his words were what really caught every one's full attention._

_ "Knock it off! Just stop it! If you love Yugi so much, then stop being a coward and fight for him! Don't just accept things the way they are! Fight damn it!" He paused his yelling when Yami sat up, wiping the blood from his mouth, eyes covered by his bangs. _

_ Yami's silence seemed to anger Honda more, as he reached out lifting Yami up by the collar of his shirt bringing him within inches of his face, as he bit out in a low growl. "Or are you going to hide away again, like the time you scarified his soul for a game?" _

_ The collective gasp filled the room, and even Kaiba seemed disturbed by Honda's accusation. _

_ "Shut up! You don't know what happened!" Surprisingly, it was Mokuba who rose to Yami's defense, dragging Honda's glare from the still unresponsive Yami. "None of us can understand, aside from Bakura and Marik, what it feels like to have part of our souls torn from our bodies, and to know it's our fault! So just leave him alone!" _

_ "Mokuba…" Anzu said in hushed tone, while Jonouchi gave a soft look of respect, catching the proud gleam in Seto's eyes at Mokuba's sudden out burst. _

_ Honda was frozen for a moment before letting go of Yami, his own look sad and reproachful, though he still seemed angered at Yami's lack of motivation. Yami simply stood once Honda had released him, shooting one last comment over his shoulder as he left. "Whatever, I still say he's being stupid. If you're so ready to give up on him, then you don't deserve him Yami. You don't deserve him."_

Yami lifted his arm, looking through his now blurry eyes at the ceiling sadly, his eyes narrowed in pain and anguish.

_Don't you think I know that? _

Yami felt more angry tears build up in his eyes and threw his arm against the back of the couch listening to the hallow thump from his action.

_Don't you think I know? I can't go to him! I will kill his body if I leave to my memories, then what? What then, what will I do if my Aibou has no place to return to? I can't, I won't live with out him… not again… I can't…_

Yami hung his head, silent tears making their way over his face, as he struggled not to make a sound. His stomach heaved with his anguish, and Yami rolled onto his side curling into a tight ball, wishing the pain and emptiness would end, but it only seemed to grow more heavy with each passing second, and he realized that he knew this pain.

It was the same agony he'd felt when trapped inside the puzzle until that morning when he felt a shift in his darkness. He could hear the soft sound of a child's voice asking in a quiet whisper of sound, if he could have _this one_.

Yami hadn't known what the child was asking, but when the feeling of his advisers presence shifted to that of soothing light, a deep sense of hope swelled. It was him.

It was his light.

It was Yugi.

Yami's tears stopped falling as he let his mind linger in the remembered peace that moment had brought him, and once again stared blankly at the shadowed wall before him, as the night waned on.

_Aibou… Aibou… Yugi… ore no hikari… please… please come back…_

XXXX

The room was hot and bright with the afternoon sun, the light sparkling off of the Nile that spun through the garden that surrounded the deck like area where the current Pharaoh of Kehmet was relaxing into a reclined seat, being fed grapes by one of his dancing girls, while his newest slave chattered on excitedly, speaking out of turn completely as he fanned the living god.

"—and Anuksu has been teaching me how to dance! It's so much fun you have no idea, Yami! I always wanted to learn but felt so funny about it, because… well, it's considered to be a girly thing back home, so I never asked… but it really is fun. Difficult though… very difficult, especially since I don't have the hips for most of the moves, but Anuksu says I'm improving!" Yugi said happily, stopping his movements with the fan to regard the dancing girl with thankful eyes.

Yugi had introduced Anuksu to Atemu only hours earlier, and for the boy's benefit, Atemu attempted to forget rank and stature and get along with the girl. But she didn't seem too thrilled with it.

Anuksu seemed uncomfortable, her eyes downcast her face bright red with embarrassment and fear. Atemu was used to this kind of behavior, and was internally grateful that Yugi was so informal.

_His actions make some sense now… though it is still hard to comprehend it all…_

Atemu thought, with a light frown, as Yugi turned away, the fan drooping to brush the ground as he tried to gain Anuksu's attention. Yugi seemed much more relaxed, now that Atemu knew of his past, and for that, Atemu was glad, but at the same time, it worried him.

_It doesn't seem possible… but with the puzzle that he brought, his odd attire and language… and the way he acts. It all makes sense, but… _

Atemu smiled gently, when Yugi poked the girl's face with a finger and cried out in shock when she threw a grape at him.

"Are you completely stupid! We are in the presence of the pr-aA! Show some respect you Xrd!" The dancer hissed under her breath, and her scathing words seemed to make Yugi happy, and the boy laughed out right for a moment. The laughter was like the bubbling sound of the river, jovial and full of life. For Atemu it was a calming agent for his worried soul.

"Oh, come on Anuksu, it's Yami, he doesn't mind—"

"I don't care if it's Aken come for my soul! Show some proper respect or so help me—"

Yugi gave a yelp when another grape came his way, and he jumped behind Atemu, small hands gripping his shoulders and Atemu blinked, startled that Yugi would use him as a shield.

_He puts _me _in the line of fire?_

Anuksu must have felt the same since she dropped her grape and turned away stuttering an apology. "S…s…sorry pr-aA… I do not know what came over me… I—"

"It's fine." Atemu said, managing to regain control over his mind after deciding not to take offence to Yugi's actions, and instead listening to the small part of his heart that responded to Yugi's earlier words.

He'd said that in his time, Atemu was his protector, his friend, his ari, and Atemu found that he believed him. It was such an odd tale, one that would hold no merit to most, and yet, his heart had known it to be true.

Anuksu looked up startled, but quickly looked away, and Atemu smiled, turning to look at Yugi. "But, I think a punishment is in order." Atemu smirked, when Yugi's eyes met his in horror, and he moved to bolt. Atemu laughed, grabbing and yanking Yugi off of the ground and into his lap where he held him still, fingers traveling over Yugi's sensitive sides, making the boy scream and writhe.

"N-no! Stop Y—yami!" Yugi giggled, his face turning red as Atemu continued to tickle him.

"No, you would sacrifice the life of your god to save your own hide? This is your just punishment, right?" Atemu asked, looking at the stunned Anuksu, who seemed worried that he had lost his mind. Atemu would have cared that his image was quickly being destroyed, but at the moment, he didn't. Yugi seemed to have that affect on him.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Yugi squealed, wriggling in his arms, and Atemu chuckled, finally releasing Yugi when it became apparent that Anuksu was not going to join in on the fun.

_Only Yugi wishes accept me as an equal… but that is just fine. _

Yugi rubbed at his eyes with the back of his hand, a large smile still on his face. The look seemed to say a silent thank you, and Atemu sighed in response. His simply being there and trusting Yugi, made the smaller boy happy, and Atemu found that he was more grateful than ever for having believed Yugi's words that night.

It had been strange, hearing Yugi's explanation, and his proof. Atemu would have brushed his odd "speech" aside with out a second thought, the words could have be sounds he made up on the spot, easily faked, but the look Yugi had given him, the look of longing despair and hope, something about it made him believe. When Yugi had finished speaking, his eyes glassy with hope, it was all Atemu could do to keep from holding the boy close.

He simply nodded once, and Yugi broke into tears, sobbing hard, scrubbing at his face repeating over and over again how happy he was that he wasn't abandoning him.

The words still hurt Atemu's heart, and he was surprised at how his simple trust could mean so much to the light before him. And Yugi was the light.

Atemu frowned once more.

… _He scares the shadows… akhu… antyw akhu… _

"pr-aA!"

Atemu jerked from his thoughts to face the person who had called to him. Jonoh stood in the doorway, bowed low, eyes trained on the floor. Since his betrayal and his punishment in the shadow realm, the guard had not dared to meet his eyes. It hurt Atemu to know that his once good friend now feared him, but there was nothing to be done about it at the time.

"Yes, Jonoh?" Atemu inquired, trying to show the other, that his anger had passed. Still, the guard kept his head down, and Atemu let it go.

"The Capitan of the Roman army has arrived to discuss the arrangements for the treaty. He's waiting in the throne room." Jonoh said evenly, and Atemu felt Yugi jerk in his arms. Glancing down, he found Yugi's eyes wide with shock and slight fear, but he put it off as a reaction to seeing Jonoh.

With a soft pat to Yugi's shoulder, Atemu shifted moving from under Yugi's slight weight and stood. Amethyst eyes followed his every move as though he feared that he would disappear the moment he stepped out of the beautiful eye's vision.

"I'll return shortly, wait here for me." Atemu said, in a tone meant to show Yugi that he was to behave and act out his roll as a slave. Yugi nodded in understanding, before saying in a steady submissive voice.

"Yes, antyw pr-aA."

It gave Atemu a light shiver to hear Yugi speak in such a manner, but he gave it no mind as he moved to leave, pausing just long enough to whisper to Anuksu as he passed by. "Keep an eye on him for me."

The girl gave a curt nod, and he left with out glancing back, and Jonoh, followed him with out being told to do so.

"Do they look dangerous?" Atemu asked, resorting back to the common speech he used to have with his high guard and felt Jonoh's hesitance to accept the peace offering.

"Pragus, the Capitan, seems to be as greedy as Bakura, pr-aA, and I dare say just as dangerous." Jonoh said, his voice still distant, but less hard. Atemu nodded, his joy at Jonoh's response over-shadowed by the news of the man who gave most threat to his people.

"How many men did he bring with him?"

"Nearly fifty, but I'm not sure how many wait outside our boarders." Jonoh stated solemnly and again, Atemu nodded, his mood darkening.

_Meaning that unless Pragus remains happy, Kehmet may very well be doomed._

"Thank you Jonoh, you are dismissed." Atemu stated when he'd reached the doors to his room.

"But, pr-aA, it is not safe for you to go with out—"  
"If I walk in with myself guarded, Pragus will know that I do not trust him, and that could cause even more troubles for us all." Atemu said with a sad look. Jonoh, looked as though he wanted to protest, but gave a curt bow instead.

"As you say, it will be done."

Atemu nodded, and entered the hall. He wanted to ask Jonoh to watch over Yugi, but after what had happened the first time, Atemu wasn't comfortable with leaving the two alone together.

He wasn't surprised to see that Pragus and his men had made themselves quite comfortable in his throne room. They stood about the place as if they were back in Rome waiting for a gladiator tournament. They most likely thought that Kehmet was no real threat, and that political politeness was not needed.

Atemu set his face and waited for Saimun, who was cowering slightly by the throne, to announce his entrance. He did so with a flourish, bowing low to the ground even as the Romans did little but incline their heads. Atemu expected little more from them, but still gave them a look that showed his displeasure at their disregard for his countries customs.

"Pharaoh, I am Pragus, Captain of Cesar's army. We come on behalf of Rome and seek a treaty between our two nations." Pragus's speech was rehearsed, and his smile was like poison. Atemu took note of his stance; weight balanced forward on the balls of his feet, proof that he was used to battle more specifically hand to hand combat. His shoulders where held back, head high, showing that he was a self-assured man, and was used to getting what he wanted.

_It would be best to placate him while he is here… _

"Right. I'm pleased that Rome feels the same as Kehmet, and I welcome you here to my palace, Pragus." Atemu said, his voice emotionless and aloof, as a Pharaoh should be. Pragus gave Atemu a look, as if measuring him up, and the tension in the room thickened. Atemu was beginning to wonder if Pragus was intentionally measuring him up with the intention to attack him, for no reason at all, but the man backed down quickly and averted his eyes else where, and Atemu relaxed.

"My men are hungry, we have not eaten well during our journey." Pragus said, insinuating that they wanted food, being just shy of rude. Atemu narrowed his eyes, not liking the way the tall man acted.

He was broad shouldered, with bright blue eyes, his skin lighter than Atemu's but much darker than Yugi's, dressed in the usual Roman warrior attire. Pragus, was nothing new to look at, in fact, he looked like every other Roman Atemu had ever seen, though he had to admit that none had ever seemed as arrogant. Then again, Atemu hadn't been involved with the Roman's much since he began his rule.

_Father had always dealt with this kind of thing… _Atemu sighed, his golden attire, the symbol of his status and title, felt uncomfortably heavy on his body. It was as if the gold had become the pieces of Kehmet itself, and with the Romans there, no one was safe.

_Father, I wish you could tell me what to do. How to save Kehmet…_

"Very well, I will have a meal prepared in your honor. Your men may relax in the rooms I've assigned for you, and may wait there until one of my servants comes to bring them to the dining hall." Atemu paused turning to Saimun, who in turned bowed low, speaking loudly, as if his voice alone could show the respect that was expected.

"So you say, it shall be done."

Atemu hated that phrase, but couldn't very well say so with Pragus there. The taller man could take it as a sign of weakness, and decide to try and overtake Kehmet for his own gain. "Pragus, please follow me and we will discuss matters further."

Pragus grinned, and finally removed his helmet, cradling it under one arm. Thick brown hair fell to his shoulders, wavy and slightly shiny with grease, Atemu made a face, turning quickly before his disgust could be recognized. It was common to be unclean from a journey, quite another to appear before a ruler of a nation with out first cleaning up. "Follow me."

Atemu walked from the room hastily, not bothering to see if the man was actually following him or not, as he made his way back to his garden room. He didn't really think much of it at the time, he just knew that Anuksu was in the other room, and that she could spread the word to the dancing girls to prepare for that evening's meal, when he chose to lead Pragus to the lounging area. He'd currently forgotten about Yugi, and the fact that most Roman's tended to prefer the company of cute young boys, to the women that the palace offered.

Atemu pushed the doors open, walking into the room, ready to start the conversation that would save his kingdom, and promptly had the wind knocked from him.

_Oh. My. Ra... _

Atemu blinked, trying to decide if he was seeing things or not as he watched Yugi, his back turned to him, dancing. Not just any dance, but the one the palace dancers showed only to the important guests. A dance of lust, and primal senses, one that was made all the more enticing by the sight of Yugi's bare back and slender hips as he rolled and swayed to the instructions of the girl, currently reclined in _his_ chair.

_Yugi's passing on his bad habits… _Atemu thought blindly, as he noticed the eased posture that Anuksu held.

Yugi's dance seemed sweet and almost innocent in nature, and Atemu was half tempted to sit back and watch Yugi, but his eyes focused on the scars that marred Yugi's beauty, and he was reminded of his own negligence. It ruined the moment and his desire to watch, as guilt continued to gnaw at him. He cringed, hating the feelings that Yugi inspired, and would have moved over to speak to Yugi, for no other reason than to silently ask for forgiveness, with out having to actually voice it, had Pragus not given an appreciative hum.

Suddenly, reality came rushing back.

_Damn it!_

"Yugi!" Atemu yelled out harshly, and watched as the boy jumped, slipping and falling to his rump, before turning a lovely shade of red, that, to Atemu's surprise traveled all the way to his navel.

"Y-Yam—"

"Dancing girl!" Atemu cut in sharply, registering on the pain in Yugi's eyes, that his quick dismissal had caused, and looked away quickly. Yugi seemed hurt for a moment more before he noticed Pragus, he then sank to his knees placing his forehead to the ground, falling into the agreed upon routine of master and servant.

Atemu inwardly smiled in relief.

Anuksu, seemed to catch on more quickly, though he had a feeling it was because she never truly trusted him to begin with. Which was somewhat relieving, and it helped Atemu shake the feeling of weakness that Yugi so often inspired in him. He was a living god, a Pharaoh, and he should fear nothing but the gods themselves.

The thought helped very little.

The slight girl, jumped to her feet bowing low, with a grace only a dancer could have. "pr-aA, what is it you desire?"

Atemu stood taller, though inside he felt wretched.

_It's for my people that I fear… it's for my kingdom…that I will save. _

No matter how many times he told himself that, the words still seemed to ring hollow. Atemu didn't like laying low, didn't like being impassive, and most of all didn't like feeling like a coward. But he knew inside, that the real coward's way out was to put his pride before his land and people, so he kept quiet.

"Tell the other's that they will be needed at tonight's dinner."

"Yes, pr-aA." Anuksu said, her face still buried to the ground, unwilling to move until he had dismissed her. "Go." Atemu said, and quick as that she was gone. That left only Yugi in the room. Already feeling uncomfortable, Atemu rounded on Yugi, his words coming out more gruff than he had intended.

"Slave, go to my quarters and wait there for me." Atemu's voice held no room for argument, and he was glad that for once, Yugi didn't make a scene or even look at him, as he ran for the guarded doorway.

Yugi sped by, head bowed low, upper body still pleasantly pink, and Atemu caught a whiff of his scent.

_WAD-wr…_

He smelled like the sea.

It was calming, and enticing… and annoyingly distracting.

It appeared that Pragus also felt that way—aside from the annoying part— since his eyes continued to follow Yugi's retreat, looking over his body thoughtfully. Atemu glared, coughing to regain, Pragus's attention.

"Such an exotic slave, you have there, Pharaoh. So pale, where did you find him?"

"He was a gift."

That was all he was going to say about it.

"Now, about that treaty…"

"Ah, right! Where to begin…" Pragus jumped at the conversation shift easily, and with it, Atemu relaxed, even just slightly.

It appeared Yugi was going to be a bit more distracting than he had thought.

_Why did I have to come back here? Why?_

XXXX

The room was loud with chatter, and filled to the brim with people. Some were seated on the floor, while others were ranged about a large wooden table, that looked as though it was a gift from a lower African nation.

Yugi shifted uncomfortably in the heavy atmosphere trying to draw as little attention to himself as possible. He was sitting on his knees, on the floor beside Atemu, and though he loathed to admit it, Yugi had wrapped his hand around the Pharaoh's ankle for security.

He'd known from the moment his eyes had landed on the tall man that had followed Atemu into the garden room that morning, that he was a Roman, and from what he'd learned from history books, the Egyptian's had not faired well against the northern European nation. Atemu had only confirmed his suspicions when he'd returned to his room as promised, looking weary and worried.

_ Yugi looked up as the door opened admitting his other. He looked tired and worn out as he walked into the room, heaving a heavy sigh. Yugi slid from his position on the bed, but did not move toward his side. Although they had spoken the night before, and reached several understandings, Yugi was still uncertain of Atemu's mood shifts._

_ As if sensing his unease, Atemu looked up, and gave Yugi a small smile, lifting one hand and motioning him over. Yugi, walked to his side, stopping just before him and felt Atemu's friendly hand rest, on his shoulder gently, just the way Yami tended to do when he felt bad for yelling at him._

_ "Pragus is a dangerous man from a powerful Empire, one that is a threat to Kehmet. I must attempt to keep him happy while he is here… and I do not wish for him to know of you." Atemu, paused looking into Yugi's eyes thoughtfully, and Yugi understood his reasoning completely. He even understood why Atemu's non-vocal apology sounded more like a command than a request. It was just something that Atemu did, a quirk that Yugi was quickly learning to accept. He was a sixteen—seventeen year old god and ruler. One who could stand up to the twenty-something Roman man as an equal—no—as a king. Of course he wouldn't apologize._

_ "Okay, Yami." Yugi nodded with a smile, and watched as the mighty Pharaoh bowed his head with a sigh that could have been made from exhausted relief, and Yugi giggled lightly. "You need to relax more Yami. Or before you know it you'll be bald." Yugi joked and watched as Atemu looked at him in slight confusion, before breaking out in a similar smile of his own._

_ "Right, I should relax when my slave uses me as a human shield." Atemu quipped with a smirk and Yugi gawked, jumping up and pointing a finger at the tan teen._

_ "What, you're my protector! And what do you do in the face of grape danger? You tickle me to death!" Yugi accused though his eyes were bright with joy, and he couldn't stop the warm feeling that spread through his chest._

_ Atemu shrugged._

_ "Nothing to say to that?" Yugi asked, and Atemu just smirked, and Yugi smiled before breaking into a fit of giggles bending over to hold his belly as Atemu joined in. Neither knew why they were laughing, it didn't quiet make sense, but either way Yugi simply enjoined the bubbling sound of joy, feeling safe if only for a moment._

_ For this instance, while they laughed openly together in the warm room, Yugi could pretend that he was back in Domino, in his room with his dark, laughing over one thing or another. _

_It was almost bittersweet. _

Yugi relaxed under the memory, his smile sad and longing. He really did not want to be here. Surrounded by blood thirsty, and power hungry Romans, clinging to the leg of his other, lost and completely out of his element. _And I really don't like the way that man keeps staring at my ass…_ Yugi swallowed hard, trying not to quiver as he looked at the leader of the Roman group.

His armor was much more flashy, and slightly more clean, and unlike most of the others, he was seated directly beside Atemu—Atemu was raised a bit higher than the Roman, as was custom, but still, the man was closest to the Pharaoh, and had been given the utmost respect.

The blue eyes seemed to be distracted by something that was happening in front, sparkling with joy, as the tall Roman laughed harshly, and the sound made Yugi shiver.

There was no warmth in the sound, only cruel humor, and sadistic mirth at the pain of another. It was like that crazed cackle that Bakura had a tendency to use when he'd been attempting to kill or maim Yami. Yami was right… _he's dangerous… extremely so…_

As if sensing Yugi's gaze, the man turned, his eyes taking on an evil glint, and Yugi jumped, gripping Atemu's ankle tighter, when a smirk spread over the man's lips. Yugi felt as if he was something to be eaten, and felt sick to his stomach, his mind screaming at him with the not so healthy knowledge he'd gained about Roman men and their habits. _… No, no, no, no… Romans liked to take boys to bed… they liked… young boys… and… he's looking at me! Yami!_

Yugi let out a squeak when the man licked his lips, and felt the leg in his tight grip—the leg that Yugi had securely wrapped both of his arms around, until his chest was pressed tightly to the gold bands that encased Atemu's shins—shift as Atemu looked down upon him.

The Pharaoh must have followed his line of vision, and caught on to what was scaring Yugi, for the scary Roman, looked up from Yugi with an arrogant smile.

"It would seem, that your gift is very attached to you." The man said, in what Yugi would have called a mocking tone, and felt a flare of indignation spark in his heart at being referred to as a thing, but held his tongue, remembering that Atemu needed to gain the man's trust, regardless of how annoying he was.

"It would appear so, Pragus." Atemu's voice sounded clipped and cold, nearly possessive, and Yugi felt a thrill run down his spine, like he always did when he heard Yami speak about him. It was an odd reaction, Yugi knew, but he simply wrote it off as protectiveness on Yami's part, for his light, and his own need to feel protected by his dark. Though that did little to explain why Yugi's heart always picked up pace and his body seemed to tingle with warmth, and his nerves seemed to jolt when he heard it. _Nope… it's nothing.. because, I'm not gay, so, it's just a light and dark thing. Yep, nothing homosexual about it!_

Yugi roughly shoved it from his mind when the Roman, Pragus, began to speak.

"He must be special if he is allowed to touch his god in such a manner." Pragus sounded smug, and Yugi felt Atemu tense. _So, he does know about the customs here… he simply chooses to ignore them. What a dick! _Yugi scowled, but turned quickly away when Pragus looked back down on him, and Yugi felt his face flush as he felt the Roman's eyes travel down and over his body slowly.

Atemu's hand reached down and held Yugi's shoulder, the heat of his skin making Yugi gasp lightly, even as the touch calmed him, as the hand proceeded to pull Yugi closer, as if trying to hide Yugi from Pragus's eyes.

"He is."

Atemu simply left it at that, not saying anything more, and Yugi wasn't sure whether to be insulted or grateful, but didn't have the time to decide when again Pragus spoke.

"Not to be rude, Pharaoh, but I am very bored." Pragus stated leaning back into his seat, thick arms crossed over his chest, and Yugi felt the need to yell at him.

Glancing up, Yugi saw the tightened jaw of Atemu, and thought for certain that he would do something, but instead, the angry Pharaoh just clapped his hands, causing the music that was being played to stop. The sounds of wood flutes and drums and odd string instruments stilled, taking on a new tune, this one more sensual and whine-like.

Yugi recognized it, it sounded a lot like the belly dancing music he'd heard when Anzu had dragged him around, trying to find a "proper dance studio" as she had put it.

Intrigued, Yugi slipped from his place on Atemu's leg, and leaned up to look over the table's edge. Amethyst eyes widened as he watched Anuksu and several other women, all dressed in sheer silk, shifting and dancing in slow, controlled movements. Arms and hips swaying like waves, creating a sensual show. Yugi grinned even as he turned scarlet at the nearly nude dancers. _I know this dance! That's the one Anuksu's teaching me… _Yugi looked on in awe, watching the perfection that moved in front of him, his backside moving in sync with the beat, his hips rolling lightly, remembering the footing and directions that Anuksu had given him. _… So that's what it should look like… wow, I wish I could do that… _

Yugi tried not to laugh at his own thoughts, feeling quiet foolish, wanting to dance like a girl. _But… it looks like such fun… and, if I could dance… maybe Anzu would spend more time with me… _ Yugi thought distantly, though it didn't bring him as much joy as he knew it should. Yugi wrote it off as nothing more than his fear that he would never make it back home.

The song picked up pace, and the dancers moved faster. This was Yugi's favorite part, his slight form had easily mastered the quick movements and turns, it was another reason why he wanted to learn the dance in the first place after seeing Anuksu practice.

So caught up in the dance, Yugi was unaware of the eyes that watched him, until he was suddenly grabbed from behind. He let out a cry of shock as the firm grip pulled him from his hiding place and promptly threw him into the dancing area.

Yugi pushed himself up from the stone floor, already cringing at the scraps that had appeared on his knees. _What… why am I… _ Yugi gasped, when he realized that the music had stopped, and that the dancers where frozen, glaring at him for ruining their performance.

"… S—sorry! I—" Yugi turned, finding himself the center of attention, and swallowed hard, not liking the situation one bit.

Atemu was standing by his chair looking outraged, and Yugi met his eyes, pleading with him to save him, and from the look Atemu gave him, Yugi was certain that the Pharaoh was going to do just that, but before Atemu could open his mouth, Pragus began to laugh.

Yugi jerked his attention to the man, aware that it must have been Pragus who had thrown him, and glowered as the other Romans joined in the mirth.

"Dance little boy. Entertain us, slave." Pragus crowed out, and Yugi had the urge to scream. _Damn it! I'm not a little boy, I'm a high schooler! And only Yami can get away with calling me slave! _

Yugi stood up, his hands fisted by his sides, shaking, ready to yell the man into silence, not careing if he'd be beaten again, nor that the man probably wanted to molest him.

"How about it, Pharaoh? Let your slave show us his talents."

Yugi's heart froze as he heard the question, his eyes jerking over to Atemu, watching as Atemu took in the situation with a steady stare. Crimson eyes darted between the two of them for a moment, and Yugi gave a saddened mental plea, already knowing that Atemu would not receive it. _No… don't make me dance in front of those… those pedophiles! _

Atemu gave Yugi a mournful look, and Yugi felt his heart sink like a stone. Atemu gave a nod to the musicians and the music picked back up. Yugi stared in disbelief, his hands trembling. He was in front of all of these people, and he was supposed to attempt to do what the girl's preformed with ease? _No! Don't make me… _

Yugi stood shaking, and laughter resounded once more. Yugi's face heated, and he felt tears burn his eyes. He heard Anuksu, hissing at him under her breath, telling him what to do, but he was rooted to the spot. _I can't… I can't do this! I'll trip… and I'll mess up… and everyone will laugh more… Yami… Yami will…_

Yugi looked over toward Atemu, and was surprised when he met the burning gaze of his other. There was no humor, disappointment, or embarrassment on his face, only the gentle look of belief, and the steady impression of trust.

It was almost as thought the link between them had returned and Yugi could hear Atemu's voice in his mind, though Yugi knew that that had not happened.

Still, he understood.

Atemu was urging him on, telling him with his eyes that he believed that Yugi could do it. With out looking away, Yugi lifted his arms, ears catching the repeated beat, and slipped into the moves Anuksu had taught him.

He had no idea if he was even at the right part of the dance or if he was behind, and Yugi didn't quite care at that point. He slowly allowed his eyes to close, concentrating on the music, and letting it lull him away. _I'm alone in the gardens… Anuksu is the only one watching me… but Yami is urging me on from the shadows of the palace… right Yami? You are guarding me, and helping me to grow, right?_

Yugi felt the pulse of the music in his body, and shifted as the beat picked up pace. He didn't dare to open his eyes as he fell into the rhythm, lost in the practiced movements of the dace.

It had, at first, reminded Yugi of some of those 'dirty dances' he'd seen on T.V. and heard about from Jonouchi from the time that he'd snuck into a club. He still couldn't stop the blood from pooling in his cheeks at the thought that he was moving so suggestively, and yet, it was addicting. _Is this why you dance Anzu? This freedom, this exhilaration? _

Yugi breathed out, turning into a light spin, arms raised over his head, moving into the next move as swiftly as possible. _I wonder… Yami? What would you say if you knew, that I knew how to dance like this? Would you say it's normal? Or would it frighten you?_ Yugi smiled to himself, _Who am I kidding? You'd just learn it too, cause its another game… and I'd lose to you all over again… though you'd keep it a secret from Anzu, so as not to hurt her feelings…_

Yugi opened his eyes and met those of fiery crimson, and quickly had to look away. Atemu's look was burning, scalding, but not angry. It was too intense for him, and Yugi stumbled, thrown off balance, and almost immediately, Atemu called for the end of the dance.

Yugi felt his face burning from embarrassment, at the applause and the fact that his blunder must have angered Atemu. He refused to look up from the ground where he was seated, and nearly leaped from his skin when Mahado came to his side and lifted him up by his arm.

"Wha—Dark Ma—" Yugi broke off at the stern look the priest gave him, and glanced away, feeling rather cold, as he was escorted back through the halls and into the Pharaoh's rooms.

Yugi swallowed hard, reminded the last time he'd been escorted by the Dark Magician to these rooms. It had ended with his crying his eyes out in relief after nearly loosing his mind when Atemu had believed him.

_Yugi looked up catching deep crimson, and felt his breath hitch at the trust in those eyes as slowly, the Pharaoh of Egypt nodded his head once, telling Yugi with out words that his proof had been sufficient._

_ Yugi began to sob, choking on his tears as immense relief flooded through him. "Oh thank god, Yami! I don't know… what I would have done… if.. if you didn't… didn't believe me!"_

_ "Hush now, Yugi. It's just fine. Now stop this crying, Akhu." Atemu said gently, his large warm hand, resting on Yugi's shoulder in a manner that reminded Yugi of his Yami back home, and more tears fell._

_ "Yami… Oh Yami!"_

_ "Hush now… hush."_

"Atemu wishes for you to wait here, Yugi." Mahado said, and Yugi sat down upon the bed, trying hard not to cry. _I messed up again… great… just great. I knew it was a bad idea to try. I'm so stupid!_

"Yugi?"

Amethyst eyes shot up to meet the concerned brown of Mahado's, and the man gave Yugi a soft look, his hand reaching out to pat Yugi's shoulder comfortingly. "He is not mad at you Yugi."

"How did you know… how can you be certain of that?" Yugi asked, turning his eyes away and glaring at the door that lead to the bathing area, his eyes tracing over the carved designs and ancient script.

For a long moment, Mahado was silent, then he rose and turned to leave, and Yugi turned back around, hope fading away at his lack of response.

"Dark—"

"Pragus." Mahado spoke the single name, and Yugi froze, blinking in comprehension as Mahado turned back around to face him with a slight nod of his head. "That is my certainty."

And with that, Mahado left.

XXXX

Atemu could hardly breathe as he watched Yugi move, his movements perfectly synchronized and fluid, as if he was a part of the Nile itself, a child of Hapi, and Yugi could pass as one as well. He was small, and soft, delicate and beautiful, Atemu was certain that had he not seen Yugi naked before, he would have wondered if he was not truly a child of Hapi, both male and female.

The anger and outrage he'd felt when he'd watched Pragus throw Yugi onto the dance floor, melted away as he continued to watch his little one move. His hips carefully rolled and gyrated, as his arms took up the movement, spinning around his face and head, as though he was held prisoner by his wrists. It was a basic move that all the dancing girl's perfected to entice their viewers, and as Yugi preformed it, it made the look sinfully holy. His innocence made him look alluring, and endearing even as the action made him look teasing and sensual.

_He moves so gracefully… fast learner, and quick on his feet… _

Atemu felt a smile reach his lips when Yugi's eyes flashed open to meet his own before darting away again, blushing. He tripped a little, and Atemu's smile spread into a grin.

_He's still Yugi… _Atemu thought with mild humor, enjoying the tenseness' abate as Yugi's spell was broken by his blunder. The Pharaoh of Kehmet would have continued to watch Yugi had his enjoyment not been cut short at the pleased snicker that came from his right.

Pragus was watching Yugi as though he was one of the girl's dancing, as though, like the girl's, Yugi could be called upon to fulfill certain, needs, that the man required.

The rage was swift and powerful, Atemu wasn't sure why it came upon him so suddenly, but was certain that his shadow magic had been called upon, for Mahado was instantly by his side, looking at him curiously.

_I don't want him looking at Yugi that way… _Atemu clapped his hands together harshly, calling an end to the festivities. Through narrowed eyes, he could see Seth down the long table, giving him and odd expression, and quickly brushed the look aside, not wanting to deal with his cousin at that moment.

"Mahado, take Yugi to my room and make sure he doesn't leave it until I return." Atemu bit out harshly, and watched as his most trusted friend left to do his bidding.

As soon as Yugi was out of the room, Atemu felt himself relax a bit, and let out a sigh, suddenly aware of the curious stares that were being sent his way. He'd caused a rather big scene, all because he didn't like the way Pragus was watching his slave.

_What the hell is wrong with me? _Atemu thought, though he remained calm on the outside, and reached for his wine lifting the cup to his lips, pausing to look down at the deep red substance.

A mix of humor and distaste ran through him as he recalled Yugi's newest duty. It was common for a slave to test the drink for poisons before allowing the Pharaoh to drink or eat. The fact that Yugi was put in mortal danger for his sake, though it was normal, caused Atemu to feel slightly disturbed by it, but Yugi's expression when he'd tasted the wine had been quite amusing.

Yugi had started to hack and sputter, making a sickened expression as he'd held out the drink, swiping his mouth on his arm. Atemu had been worried that Yugi was dying from a poison, and had leaped to his feet only to be stalled by Yugi's gagged out words.

"_If it isn't poisoned, the taste will kill you…" _

"The dance displeased you?" Pragus' question brought Atemu back to the present with a glare, that he turned on the Roman with out much thought.

"I was simply tired of the music." Atemu replied, drinking from his cup quickly, the bitter taste soothing on his tongue. Replacing his cup, Atemu stood, not quite careing if he was being rude, and that both Seth and Saimun would make his ears bleed in the morning for his actions this night, and left the room, swiftly moving toward his chambers. He couldn't continue to sit beside that man any longer. His existence was rubbing Atemu the wrong way and he was afraid that he would strike out if he stuck around any longer.

He found Mahado waiting outside of his doors as he'd asked, and nodded to the priest as he moved to enter the room.

"Thank you Mahado."

"There is no need, pr-aA… but I think you should explain your actions to Yugi, he seems upset." Mahado said, his tone respectful so as not to offend Atemu with his opinion.

Atemu gave a nod as his friend departed and slipped into his room. Yugi was sitting with his legs crossed on the bed, staring at the wall, his face scrunched into a look of thoughtfulness.

Atemu watched him for a moment, the protective feeling consuming him once more, and he wanted to reach out and hold the boy close to his chest, and keep all harm from him. _ This is starting to irritate me…_ Atemu harshly shook the feeling off and coughed, gaining Yugi's attention.

His head whipped around quickly, and Atemu watched as his eyes lit up and he moved from the bed, his odd undergarments showing as he slid to the floor.

"I'm sorry, Yami. I shouldn't have… it was—"

Atemu shook his head smiling gently, and he moved forward, placing a hand on Yugi's shoulder feeling the soft skin as Yugi's muscles relaxed his tension easing off.

"No, you were great, little one." Atemu smiled when Yugi gave a pout at the nickname and moved to continue, "It was…" Atemu broke off, unsure if he wanted to tell Yugi just how badly he could be hurt by the Roman Capitan.

_No… he does not need to worry of such things… _

The Pharaoh moved to change the topic, but was beaten to it by Yugi. "It's Pragus and the Roman empire isn't it?" Yugi was looking at him with steady eyes. Atemu regarded him for several long moments, before letting out a heavy sigh and nodding once.

"Yes, I assume that you know, then, why I had you dragged out?"

"If you mean the fact that Roman's like to sleep with boy's then, yes." Yugi said with a light shudder, his face crunching up in distaste. Atemu smiled at Yugi's antics patting his head gently before he moved over toward his bed, sitting on it tiredly.

"Then, you will understand if I ask that you do only as I instruct and when I am not around, hide in the servant's room." Atemu asked, though his tone implied that Yugi really didn't have a choice in the issue. Yugi nodded once, coming over and plopping himself down beside Atemu, before dramatically flopping onto his back in the next instant.

Atemu watched him with a small smirk on his face. Yugi truly did grow on him. He chuckled watching as Yugi became comfortable, puffing his cheeks out as he breathed out a large sigh, amethyst eyes opening slowly.

"You know, the fact that the Romans are here, scares me." Yugi said, seriously, and Atemu nodded, understanding Yugi's fear well.

"Do not worry, Yugi. All will be fine."

"No, Yami, that's not what I meant. Look, in my time, it's well known that Egypt—I mean Kehmet—is taken over by the Romans and the real bloodline of the pr-aA is destroyed." Yugi said with a solemn expression. Atemu stared in shock, his stomach bottoming out with fear.

_Is my kingdom to fall? Now, to this man known as Pragus? Was this the danger that Yugi presented?_

"When?" Atemu questioned, and Yugi sighed.

"I'm not completely sure, but I know a man named Ptoleme, and a King known as "Alexander the Great" have something to do with Kehmet's fall. So, unless you hear those names, I'm pretty sure we're safe." Yugi said, and Atemu tried to relax, suddenly, feeling much more tense than before.

… _I'm not sure whether this makes things more difficult or not… _

"Sorry." Yugi whimpered sitting up, a disgruntled look on his face, and Atemu turned to regard him with wary eyes.

"For what, Yugi?"

"I probably shouldn't have told you that… it could change history…" Yugi grumbled, and said something about "world history" and "test'. Atemu shrugged it off and forced a small smile.

"It is fine, akhu. If all goes well, we will have a treaty, and that was decided long before you even arrived. So, do not fret so."

Yugi nodded with a small smile, and Atemu patted his back once, shifting to then remove his gold adornments. "You should go to bed Yugi, the servant's room should not be crowded as of yet. Go find yourself a blanket before they are gone."

Yugi made a face before hopping off of the bed and making his way to the door. Atemu watched him with protective eyes, feeling a deep sense of longing in his heart.

"Yugi?"

The boy froze, his hand on the door handle as he looked over his shoulder with a curious face, and Atemu grinned shaking his head. "Nothing, just wanted to tell you… that you dance very well."

A red tint stained Yugi's face even as he grinned, and Atemu felt a warmth in his own chest at Yugi's actions.

"Arigatou, Yami! Oyasumi!" Yugi called over his shoulder as he left the room, and Atemu nodded his head, not understanding a word Yugi said, but nodded his head all the same.

_Ra, I need him to teach me what he's saying… _

XXXXXXXX

The guestroom was filled with three of his most trusted men, among which stood his son, the dark haired youth, Ptoleme. Pragus smiled maliciously at the stern faces that surrounded him in his room.

"So, the first step of our true mission has been accomplished, but we still need to find a way to gain access and control over the shadow beasts." Pragus said with evil intent, and watched as his men took in his newest demand. His young son, no older than the Pharaoh at best, simply nodded once, his sour expression never changing.

"The conquest of this place depends on it. So tomorrow, I want you three to go into town and discover all that you can about the powers that keep us from crushing this little backwater kingdom." Few curt nods were his reply, and so with a sharp flick of his wrist, he sent the men from the room, not wishing to be caught plotting against the Pharaoh and Kehmet.

_So… the shadow magic should be hidden somewhere in this palace… or at least this wasted land… what ever could Cesar want with such fool hearty misgivings I do not know. _

Pragus sighed reclining onto his lavishly decorated room, scoffing at the images of Kehmet's gods, and their absurd writings. In his eyes, the people of Kehmet were primitive, stupid, and expendable, and were he Cesar, he would have never bothered with such a backwater country.

But he was not Cesar, and he was not the one to make the decision. So, here he was, inside of the palace, being placated by a man who severely distrusted, and even hated him.

He knew that the Pharaoh was simply trying to keep him happy for the better of his kingdom, and even Pragus had to admit it was a very wise thing to do as a ruler, but his slip up at dinner had been quite stupid.

_That slave… is his weak point… though I can't truly blame him. Such a delicate boy. I bet he's as soft as silk, and as pure as a virgin… He would be so much fun to break._

A malicious smile made it's way up Pragus's face as he recalled the pale slave boy with the odd colored eyes. The way he moved seemed to be a contrast in and of itself, innocence, and yet tempting seduction all at once. Just the thought of the boy's skin made him hot.

_He smelled like the sea… so he couldn't have been from this land. No, not at all… I wonder if the Pharaoh has tasted him yet?_

Another smile made it's way up his face, and Pragus moved from his bed, and moving to the door, turning to the guard that stood watch by his door.

"I wonder if you could bring me a slave. I have a few… _needs_." Pragus smirked, and watched as the guard simply nodded his head in understanding, turning as if to leave, and Pragus reached out stopping the guard's departure. "Though, if it is at all possible, I would like to have the small pale slave with the violet eyes attend to me. The one that looks remarkably like the Pharaoh, if it is not too much trouble."

Pragus was amused when he saw the guard freeze and think for a moment, as though debating and weighing his options, and it gave him a thrill, not unlike the one he felt when he was on a hunt, or at war.

_So, the pr-aA is a little more protective of this one… /I._

"Can you? Or is the Pharaoh's hospitality not reach far enough to give his guest a proper attendant?" Pragus asked.

_Or bedmate as the case may be._

The guard bowed low with a hastily muttered, "Just a moment. I will fetch the slave for you." Then the shorter man left, and Pragus smirked returning to his room to await his new play thing.

_It's been a while since I had a good toy… I wonder how much it will take to break him? _

(Ending Theme: "Night Flowers")

_ai no kuni wo samayou_

_watashi wo mitsuke dashite_

_tsubasa ni wa mada_

_surikireta hazu no kokoro kakushite_

_watashi no mune wo someta_

_ikusen no hanabira wa_

_kanashii kurai anata wo koishiku saseru_

_mou ichido_

_sugaritsuku shunkan_

_surinukeru maboroshi_

_anata no subete wo ubai saritai_

_itetsuita NAIFU kazashi_

_ai wa mau yoru no hana wo chirashite_

_aishite, iyasarete, tokihanatsu - kokoro sae..._

_motto hageshiku kanjite_

_sadame nara_

_yasuragi mo, nukumori mo iranai_

_itetsuita NAIFU kazashi_

_ai wa mau yoru no hana wo chirashite_

_kowashite, kizutsukete, tojikomete - kokoro sae..._

_motto hageshiku aishite_

**Translations:**

**ari: Partner **

**akhu: light (Loose Translation)**

**Arigatou, Yami. Oyasumi.: Thank you, Yami, good night.**


	9. Chapter 8

**A.N. I'll update later.**

_**Chapter Eight**_

_Darkness was all around him, oppressing and smothering. He'd grown accustomed to it over the time that he'd spent trapped in it's shadowed embrace. His sanity was half lost, memories hazy, as though they would flitter away if given the chance, but still he held on._

_He was the Pharaoh of Kehmet._

_He could not allow himself to become lost. Not when so much was at stake._

_ "Yugi…" His voice never truly came into existence, swallowed up by the blackness just as the light had been. He knew it was only his shadow magic that held his memories intact, and he was growing weak. If his light did not find him soon, then there was no way for him to hope to recognize him._

_ "You can choose any gift you like for your birthday." The voice echoed through the walls of his prison, and he recognized it as his advisor's. The elderly man had had a happy life it would seem, since he discovered his resting place, but he'd not felt the elderly man's presence in a long while, he'd almost forgotten Saimun's name._

_ "Any one?" A child's voice was near, and it rang with such joy and innocence, he could almost believe that light had seeped into his dark prison, but that was only hopeful thinking and wishing._

_ Saimun chuckled and soon he could sense the boy's rummaging around. Suddenly, all movement stopped, and above the endless echo of nothingness, he heard the boy's whispered cry._

_ "That one, Jii-chan. I want that one." _

_ Saimun seemed reluctant to move, but after a pause, he felt the once advisor lift him from wherever it was that his puzzle was resting, and he was moved to the small hands of the child._

_He gasped._

_ The child's presence washed over his numbed mind and he couldn't help but cry as he realized who was holding him, who had found him at last._

_ "Yugi… oh Yugi… antyw akhu…" his voice echoed in his own ears, reverberating off of the presence that now filled in the gaps. Finally, he'd found his light half, after so long with out him, after loosing him once, now they were reunited at last, just as he'd said they would be._

_ "Oh Ra Aibou, how I've missed you…" _

_ He listened as the everyday life resumed, small sounds indicating that Yugi was working on solving the puzzle. As each piece fell into place, a little more light filled his cage, and he smiled graciously. After a while though, he realized that Yugi was no longer trying to solve his puzzle. He nearly wept in grief. So close, he was so close and still, he was denied. _

_ He had the impression that night had fallen, and could feel that Yugi was sleeping now. He wanted to see him._

_Had to see him._

_Needed to see him._

_ He knew he was too weak, but the remaining power coursing through his spirit was enough for one final move. "What will I lose for seeing you again my light?" He wondered aloud, but received no answer. He knew he should be patient, but after so long, he simply couldn't handle it any more._

_ His mind made up, he closed his eyes, forcing his magic to aid him as he tore away from the darkness. His being burned as he appeared in a darkened room, his image shadowed and wispy, proof of his power's decline. He was wrapped in a simple white wrap, like that of a slaves, though it didn't quite bother him, for there, laying on the floor, covered by a single blanket, lay the treasure he'd lost so very long ago._

_ "Yugi…"Even his voice sounded faint, as tears pooled in his eyes. He looked over the small boy, his face so much smaller and younger than he remembered. His crown of tri-colored hair messily spread over his pillow._

_ With out thinking, he reached out, pulling the sleeping child into his arms, squeezing him close as his tears fell. "At last, ari, antyw akhu. I have found you… dear sweet Yugi…" _

_ The boy made a soft coo in his sleep and he pulled him closer, breathing in his tender smell, the smell of the sea breeze, the smell he'd memorized so long ago. His body felt uncomfortably warm, and he felt his eyes burn with unshed tears. This was no longer a dream, it was real, he was truly holding his precious light in his arms. _

_ His arms tightened of their own accord and he breathed in deeply standing and cradling Yugi's form close, listening to the sounds of his breath. His memory of why this small act was so important was distant now, faded, and growing dimmer each passing moment._

_ Who was he again? And why was this child so important to his heart? "Because he is my hikari… and I am his Yami… his Yami…"Crimson eyes blinked sadly, as he finally understood the price he'd pay for his impatience._

_His memories._

_ The images of his life that he'd protected through his magic and power were what he was giving up for this single moment, in which to hold the boy close. "I will not remember you… but I could never forget you… Yugi…" _

_ Hot tears ran down his cheeks, ghostly, and nearly see through now, and the once proud Pharaoh pressed his lips to the boy's forehead in a loving caress. "I love you… Yugi… my precious light. I love you…" _

_ The boy let out a large breath curling closer to his chest, his tiny hand fisting on his tanned shoulder, and he smiled, gently laying his small love onto the floor. His hand trailing over his back lovingly, glad that nothing marred his skin there, before covering him with a blanket. _

_ The child let out a soft whimper, pulling closer to the pillow beneath his head, and released a soft sigh. He smiled, once more saddened as he found his hand to be but an out line against the boy's back. _

_Not much longer now._

_ Soon, he'd forget everything, and Yugi would have to help him to regain the memories he'd lost. But as he sat, watching Yugi dream, he made a promise to himself, unwittingly weaving a spell with his remaining power._

_ "I will never forget my love for you… I give you my word." _

_ A soft gasp drew his attention around, and he blinked, startled by the bright blue eyes that stared into his own crimson. The little girl was dressed in a night dress, her short brown hair mussed with sleep, her pudgy cheeks reddened from her pillow. _

_He knew this girl._

_ She had once danced in his palace, and befriended his love, and now she was the steady pillar of friendship once more. A gentle smile graced his regal mouth, as he inclined his head toward her once, in gratitude._

_ He heard her jump, and rose once more to thank her, but when he opened his mouth, his voice had already left him. "I thank you, Anuksu. Please protect him, until I return…" _

_ The words where never truly voiced, but he knew that somehow, in some way, she understood. He closed his eyes as the last of his strength faded from him, and he awoke in the darkness of his prison, except this time, he could not remember why he was there, nor why he held on._

Crimson eyes flew wide open as Yami flung himself up on the couch, aware for the first time that golden light was seeping in through the window behind him.

_A… dream…_

Yami breathed in deeply, running a hand through his hair, surprised to find it damp with his perspiration. He made a face, pulling his hand back down to look at it with a curious expression.

His skin was light, compared to what it had once been, and he couldn't help but wonder if it was due to his time in the shadow realm, or whether it was because of the world that he now lived in?

_Was that a memory, brought on by Anzu's story?_ Yami wondered to himself, dropping his hand to look up and out of the window.

It was bright and sunny.

Completely opposite of his current mood, but wasn't that how things usually were? Yami tried not to think of it, his mind rolling over the memory-dream, un willing to believe it because of Anzu's story, and yet, he knew it to be true.

"I've always loved him… before I even knew why…" Yami whispered, his expression turning dark with his pain, and he scowled.

"Every thing all right, Yami?" The question caught the spirit off guard and he jerked his eyes up and met the concerned and saddened eyes of Sugoroku Mutou. The deep plumb gaze tired and worried, and Yami had to quickly avert his eyes, his hands curling into tight fists as he glared out across the room.

Was he all right?

Of course not, but then again neither was Sugoroku.

"No… Mutou-san, I am not." Yami said truthfully for the first time in days, and felt a weight sit beside him as he heard the elderly man's sigh.

"Neither am I my boy. Neither am I."

Yami bowed his head lower, and gritted his teeth. How much more could any of them be expected to take? As if hearing his mental question, Sugoroku placed a large hand on Yami's shoulder, drawing his gaze up and to his own as he asked a question, Yami was unwilling to answer.

"So, what news is there from that Kaiba?"

… _obviously I haven't suffered enough…. _

Yami cleared his throat, and began the long and painful discussion. Finally having to tell his one time advisor, and now a day, "grandfather," the deeper truths of his grandson's predicament. _I've been acting the coward too long…_

XXXX

A harsh grip on his arm woke Yugi from his sleep as he was ungracefully hauled into the air and onto his feet by a large guard. Disoriented for a moment, Yugi looked around the darkened slaves room, noticing the sleeping forms of his comrades in slavery, even though most of the other slaves all but ignored him.

"Huh? What is—"

"Just shut up and follow me, your presence is required." The gruff and angry voice made Yugi jump a bit, and he rubbed at his chilled arms aware that he'd lost his blanket in the rude wake up. _What would Yami want now? It must be pretty late to be so cold… _Yugi puzzled over the odd summoning, but hastily made to follow the guard, surprised when they did not follow the usual path to Atemu's rooms. In fact, they were headed in opposite direction from them.

Yugi knew it would not be to wise to question the guard, to speak out of turn once more, but, at the same time he was wary. Atemu had told him, specifically, not to do anything that he had not commanded of him, and leaving his room in the dead of night to go on some nightly stroll didn't strike Yugi as a normal command from his other.

"Uh… um… excuse me, but isn't the pr-aA's rooms down that way?" Yugi asked turning his upper body to point down the correct path, and was jerked forward by his arm.

Yugi let out a surprised squeak as he lost his balance and had to hop momentarily to regain his footing. He heard the guard grumbling under his breath, sounding disgusted and a bit uneasy, but whether it was for himself or their destination Yugi did not know.

Yugi felt his heart slam into his ribs painfully and he swallowed hard, leaning back and digging his heels into the ground to slow their movement. _Something is not right! This… this isn't safe… Yami!_

"Wait, pr-aA told me that I was to attend only to—"

"Shut your mouth slave! It is the pr-aA's guest that has requested your presence. I doubt the will of the pr-aA would exclude that from his honored one." The man said in a gruff tone, and Yugi felt his stomach bottom out. _It's Pragus! Oh Kami no! Yami would never… he wouldn't… _A sickening doubt entered Yugi's mind at the memory of being forced to perform before the Romans, and Yugi felt his eyes water. Atemu had made him dance then, what would stop him from sending him out now? _… No! Yami would never have done something like this! Yami! Yami! Help!_

A large wooden door came into view and Yugi felt his legs buckled and try to give out on him. Another harsh tug brought him to the door. Out of the corner of his eye, Yugi thought he saw Jonouchi, but wasn't certain as the door opened and the tall Roman filled the entry.

"Ah, I see you have brought him. My thanks to the pr-aA for his hospitality." The man's voice was like thick molasses, syrupy-sweet, and yet sickly thick with evil.

The guard merely bowed and shoved Yugi into the room. He fell hard on his palms and knees, but quickly jumped to his feet in the next moment, not wishing to be trapped in any sort of weakened position.

Pragus smirked, his eyes roaming over Yugi's form as if he knew what he looked like with out his skirt and boxers on. Yugi glared, trying not to cover his already clothed, lower body with his hands.

"That will be all." He said smugly, as though he was the one who owned the palace and the guards. Yugi's scowl deepened as the door shut behind him and tensed, preparing himself to run, dodge and fight if necessary.

The Roman looked him over a final time before turning away and walking toward his bed.

Yugi took three steps back.

"I need your assistance boy, in removing my armor." The comment was made off-handedly, but Yugi understood the underlay of those words perfectly. _Yeah… help my ass. You just want me to undress you, you sick bastard…_

"I'm sorry to disappoint, but I only do such things for the pr-aA." Yugi said with a glare, no longer bothering with formalities. If he was going to fight for his virginity, he was not going to play nice.

Pragus seemed to be amused by Yugi's rudeness, as he turned to smirk at him, his eyes dark with a look that could only be called lustful. It caused a violent shiver to run down Yugi's spine, and his skin crawled in discomfort.

"Well then, I guess you should get a move on since he has given me you as an assistant." Pragus said haughtily.

Yugi paled. "No he didn't." Yugi said, his voice barely above a whisper as his entire form trembled in denial. _No… Yami would never…. Yami would… _Yugi's breath caught in his chest as his mind froze over. _Yami may never do so… but what about Atemu?_

Yugi hadn't been aware of how heavily he'd been depending upon Atemu, and how desperately he tried to see Yami in his place until that moment. A scared whimper escaped his lips, and Pragus's smile grew. The large tan hands reached up to unclasp the chest armor as he took a heavy step toward Yugi. The small duelist fumbled and scurried backward, turning to place a large pillar between them.

"S—stay back!" Yugi cried out, his voice showing less strength than he would have liked, and he heard the burly man laugh, and the rustle of leather as his "armor skirt" was removed.

"So demanding, little one… I shall enjoy you very much."

"Don't call me that! Yaro no hentai!" Yugi screamed, reverting back to Japanese when the man lunged around the pillar forcing Yugi to dive to the opposite end running and sliding beneath the bed to the other side, quickly regaining his footing when he heard the others fast approach. Atemu and Yami were the only ones allowed to call him that. Pragus had no right, none what so ever.

"That was cute, what was it? Your home language perhaps?" Pragus sneered and Yugi found himself breathing faster in fear as the man, now only robed in a long shirt-type tunic, feinted to one side hoping to startle Yugi into flight. _To bad I'm used to Bakura's insane games of tag…_ Yugi thought smugly, suddenly glad for the tomb robber's insane mind and nerve games.

"Yami will come… Yami will come…" Yugi whispered under his breath, not careing that his Japanese probably was turning the deranged man on further, and shuddered once more when the leering eyes looked him over thoughtfully.

"You are so soft little Yugi… tell me, has the Pharaoh had a taste of you yet? Or will I be the first to partake of you?" Pragus asked.

Yugi reached behind him, grabbing the first thing he could, which happened to be a candle holder, and he glared, reverting back to hieratic. "_You_ won't touch me."

Pragus raised an eyebrow in mock surprise. "And why not?"

_Because… Yami will kill you… _Yugi thought remembering when he'd first met his dark, and had held witness to the deadliness of the shadow games to those who dared to trespass into his soul. "Because…" Yugi whispered, gripping the golden candle holder tight, "… Ore wa Yugioh. Teme wa … oji-ji no kuzu!" Yugi spit out, throwing the candle holder at Pragus, and then dove for the door his heart pounding.

He knew that his weapon had never even surprised the Roman, he'd seen the burly man catch the golden item with ease, and heard the man's foot steps as he gave chase. _Kami –sama! Onegai! Taskete ore! _Yugi cried out, as a firm hand grabbed his shoulder yanking him back.

Yugi let out a harsh scream, immediately struggling and moved to bite the hand that was trying to restrain him, when a loud voice bellowed into the room, stalling all movement.

"Pragus!" Yugi's heart soared, and he turned watering eyes to the form of Atemu, half sobbing with relief. _Yami! Yami… oh thank Kami… _

The hand on Yugi's shoulder relented and Yugi bolted from the barely clothed man, to burry himself in Atemu's cape, hiding behind his back, sinking into the soft fabric, his head resting on the firm spine of his other, the spicy smell of his oils and the clinging scent of sand filling Yugi's senses. _I'm safe… he came… Yami came… I knew he would… I knew he would never…._ Yugi's hands lifted to grip the fabric of Atemu's tunic in his hands as the shock of everything set in and he began to tremble uncontrollably.

"My personal servant is needed by myself. I shall send you your own. Please refrain from requesting mine from now on." Atemu said, his voice sounding clipped and angered. Yugi shivered pressing closer to the man in front of him , closing his eyes and remembering the safe comfort, Yami had always brought to him. _He didn't send me to him… Yami didn't do it…_ Yugi sighed, feeling suddenly very tired, and foolish for his uncertainty of Atemu's faithfulness.

"My apologies, Pharaoh, it will not happen again." Pragus said, his tone light and almost jovial. Yugi felt like vomiting at the sound of it. It was all just a game to that sick fuck. His virginity, rape, and defilation was nothing but a game to him!

Yugi felt Atemu stiffen at the tone, and wondered how long the shadow game would be for a moment, before he felt Atemu turn to leave, his strong hand reaching back to hold Yugi's in a reassuring grip.

Nothing was going to happen.

_That's right… we aren't back home… we're in Egypt… and Yami needs his approval to save everyone… of course he wouldn't mind crush him…_ Yugi was half frightened of himself when the thought left him partially saddened. He'd wanted Pragus to hurt, and that disturbed Yugi the most.

"Oh, Pharaoh, not to be rude, but I much enjoyed your slave's performance at the meal. If it's not to much to ask I would much like to see him dance again tomorrow."

Yugi felt his lungs freeze at the request and he shook his head no, pleading with any god that may be there that Atemu would not agree, but the gods seemed to find his suffering amusing and after a tense pause, Atemu nodded his head with an affirmative grunt.

Yugi almost kicked him.

"Just remember, that he is not yours to touch." Atemu said sternly, and Yugi jumped, feeling his face flush a dark red at the possessive quality that it held, and suddenly was reminded of Pragus's question.

_"Has the Pharaoh had a taste of you yet?" _

Yugi shuddered at the implication, wondering if perhaps Atemu indeed felt the same as Pragus did. _The dreams… in my dreams about Yami… _Yugi sucked in a deep breath, his mind blanking out for a moment, missing Pragus's reply to Atemu's statement, recalling the dream he'd had before the mess had begun.

_Silk sheets clung to his damp and heated skin, as warm hands smoothed up and over his sides holding his hips daringly, fingers biting into skin as the hips of the owner of those hands, held pale thin legs spread wide._

_ His member was buried deep inside of him, thick and hot, and Yugi was incapable of movement, his mind lost in the heated passion and pleasurable pain that engulfed his body completely. He shook, as the other pressed low against him, sliding out of his tight opening just a little, and Yugi moaned, arching his back and lips moved to claim his sensitized neck._

_ A bolt of tingling longing ran from the contact point to his skull and then down through his shoulder and back, forcing a whimper of need from him, and the man atop of him smiled, lips skimming over the sweaty flesh, teeth nipping him gently as he moved to whisper into Yugi's ear, his voice husky with lust and desire._

_ "biAw, Akhu… antyw akhu biAw… ntk nt wi… nDS mrwt…"The lips brushed by his earlobe, pausing to suckle the skin on the appendage lovingly, moaning as he pressed his tanned body to Yugi's, shifting and pumping gently inside of his body. _

_ Yugi cried out, feeling the friction deep inside, as he was filled by his lover's gentle rocking. His insides stretching to hold the other's large size, and he gasped, eyes opening wide and holding passionate crimson, as the regal face moved to capture his lips, a smooth tongue sliding in to taste him. The body began to move more purposefully now, pulling back so that Yugi could feel the slip of those sweaty hips on his thighs as the member inside of him slipped out. Then, with a sharp jerk, he was sliding in once more, filling Yugi and creating a friction that he desired._

_ Lips parted and Yugi heard his name, whispered lovingly between them as his lover slammed back into him, causing Yugi's body to bounce slightly._

_ "Ah!" Yugi cried out, his mind going blank, as that heated mouth moved back to his ear, whispering huskily into it, "Call my name sweet one…" _

_ "pr-aA…"_

_ His lover groaned, pumping into him several times, his hand holding Yugi's hips prisoner in his grip. "No… my name… Yugi… my name…"_

_ "Yami." Yugi sighed, lovingly starting to tremble at not being free to press himself down onto his moving partner. He felt the body above his own fall back atop of him, the thrusts becoming less loving and more frantic and bruising. _

_ Yugi was crying out as his prostate was hit each time and he writhed on the bed beneath the man above, and once more the other grunted out his demand, his breath hot on Yugi's ear. "Say _my_ name… Akhu…"_

_ He slammed in hard, and Yugi bucked off the bed, arms and legs twining around the other's form in desperation as he cried into the dark room, the name that his other desired to hear most._

_ "Atemu!"_

Yugi jerked back to reality when Atemu began to walk from the room, and nearly fell down when his legs forgot how to function. _Oh shit! I was dreaming about… about… no! He… Yami… they… _

"Are you all right Yugi?" Atemu's curt question was muffled by the cape that covered him and Yugi jumped at it's suppressed anger and concern.

"Y—Yes… Ate—Yami…"Yugi chocked on the name, feeling his face heat at the thought of voicing the name he'd bellowed in his sleep that night that everything had began. If Atemu noticed his slip, he didn't say anything, and for that Yugi was grateful.

When Atemu had stopped walking, Yugi slowly moved from under his cape, and instantly recognized the room he stood in, and felt his heart flutter in light fear and anticipation. _I am not gay! Yami is not after my virginity… and… and… that dream is nothing! Means nothing! _

"Yugi, from now on I want you to stay in my quarters."

"What?" Yugi squeaked out, pulling his arms to his chest, feeling his heart race and watched as Atemu turned to face him, his expression harsh for a moment before smoothing out into a look of kindness.

"Calm yourself little one." Atemu said, as he moved forward, placing a friendly hand on Yugi's shoulder, and doing nothing else. "I meant for you to stay here so that Pragus can not get to you. You can use that as your own bed, so do not fear me. I am your kkwy, remember? As you are my akhu, my ari. I will not harm you. You know this." Atemu said carefully, and Yugi flushed, feeling stupid when he found the harem pillows that lined the wall nearest the washroom. It was a bed made for the pharaoh's harem or chosen pleasure slave of the evening, but it looked as though it had yet to be touched by anyone, and from the blankets that had been piled onto it, Yugi had a hard time believing that Atemu had any plans of taking his innocence on it. _How silly of me… it was just a dream… like Yami said before… _

Yugi smiled and nodded once. "Yes. I do. Sorry—"

"Do not be, it is natural to react in such a manner after…" Atemu broke off and turned, adding yet another blanket to the bed Yugi would now use as his own. The action seemed out of place for the Pharaoh, and yet, to Yugi, it was almost natural.

It was what Yami would do.

"Thank you, Yami." Yugi said, giving a small smile of gratitude as he walked over to the bed to look down on it. Atemu moved away a moment later, his cape dropping from his shoulders to pile carelessly on the floor, before he crawled into his own bed, and it was then that Yugi realized that he was not wearing his golden jewelry, meaning that he'd been sleeping prior to rescuing him.

"Uh… Yami?" Yugi asked, now situated under the blankets, finding the pillows to be unexpectedly comfortable.

The lump on the bed shifted with a soft grunt. "Yes, Yugi?" Yugi smiled, Atemu sounded tired.

"I was just wondering… how did you know I was in trouble?"

There was a pause, long enough for Yugi to think that perhaps Atemu had fallen asleep on him, before the Pharaoh finally answered.

"Jonoh came and woke me. He'd seen you being dragged into the room, and knew that I would not allow that." It was a statement of fact, with no emotion tied to it, but Yugi knew what it meant, and wasn't sure if he should feel surprised, concerned, or happy.

"Oh." Yugi said, knowing that he'd have to thank the guard when he next saw him. _If he doesn't try to kill me first… I wonder if he's still angry with me? _

"You ready to sleep now?" Atemu asked, sounding almost gentle, and Yugi turned to find that he'd sat up in his bed and was looking a him. Yugi locked eyes with Atemu's crimson, and felt a shiver pass over his spine.

Atemu was bare chested. It really should not have surprised Yugi, considering that Atemu most likely slept naked, pajama's not really having a purpose in this era as of yet.

Especially not for the Pharaoh.

All the same, the broad chest of carmled honey, glowing dimly in the moonlight, brought back, just a few too many memories of that skin, coated in sweat, and those burning eyes tainted with fiery lust.

Yami had the most intriguing eyes. Like fire, they held a deep danger, but could provide warmth and security, and like blood, they held passion and courage; strength. Yugi had always loved his dark's eyes, they'd always been his pillar of strength.

And now, his wet dreams.

"Yes, thank you, Yami. Night." Yugi said, laying back against the pillows and snuggling down with a sigh, for the first time since staying with Anuksu, comfortable and warm, and desperately trying to shove all his embarrassment away.

"Good night, Akhu." Atemu whispered, and Yugi felt his cheeks heat. _I really need to stop thinking on that dream. I'm not gay, nor is Yami… we are completely non-queer… so just stop thinking about it._ Yugi thought to himself, quickly evading all thoughts on the real gay pedophile in the room down the hall.

He'd take dreams of his Yami over nightmares of that freak any day.

XXXX

The room was warm and well lit with the light of day, and Yugi shifted restlessly, wanting to enjoy the bright sunlight, for once, having had a good night's sleep, and yet, extremely uncomfortable with being where he was.

"Anuksu…" Yugi whined lightly at the girl who was currently speaking with the hunch-backed, seamstress on what colors would fit best, and bring out his odd attributes.

"What?" The girl inquired, lifting her head to regard him. Her blue eyes bright with a kind of sisterly love. Yugi dug his toe into the ground, staring at the rug he was currently placed on. Different shades of purple and blue silks draped over his shoulders.

"Do I really have to do this?" Yugi asked, wanting the ground to open up and swallow him whole.

"What? Yugi," the girl trailed off, turning to the woman and handing back the mass of what looked like silver fabric to the woman, before facing him. "Yugi, if you are going to dance with us, you'll need your own attire. Besides, pr-aA, insisted himself. Look, he's even paying for the clothes and the other accessories." Anuksu said gently with a smile, though her look could only be described as shopping madness.

"Accessories?" Yugi groaned, not liking the predicament at all, and the girl giggled a bit as she turned away once more. _This is not happening… _ Yugi moaned in his mind, but outwardly, he only sighed.

"I think the lavender and light blue would fit him best… trimmed with silver. It would bring attention to his pale complexion, and his eyes." Anuksu chattered aimlessly, completely ignoring the currently panicking boy. _She's turning me into a girl! And picking out royal colors to boot! Lavender? I'm going to get arrested again! Damn Pragus, I hate Romans… when I get home… when I…_

In an instant his humorous anger had left, and in its wake a cold nothingness took hold.

Yugi swallowed back his sudden pain and fear that he may never return home again, concentrating instead, on the way the sun drifted across the woven fabric of his little carpet. The way the shadows leapt to life on one side but withered into nothing on the other, the bright contrast in colors, that seemed almost out of place in such a time and era. It almost reminded him of the rug in the kitchen of his home.

_Grandpa always hated that rug… thought it looked too much like a dyed rat._ A remorseful smile lifted Yugi's lips as he remembered the way his grandfather had complained. It had always made him laugh when he was younger. Always made him forget why it was never thrown out, and why, when he was such a small child he used to lay upon it and breath in deeply, trying to remember…

"All right, we'll be back for the clothes then. Come Yugi… Yugi?" Anuksu said, turning to grip his arm, and Yugi jerked his eyes up to meet her own. Yugi watched as her looked changed from joy to concern, then to pity. "What's wrong Yugi?"

Yugi jumped at the last emotion, before quickly laughing, rubbing at his eyes in an attempt to hide his sorrow. "Nothing, I just got some sun in my eyes." Yugi lied, showing a chipper smile, making sure that his eyes stayed closed for the duration of it.

Anuksu seemed momentarily unconvinced, and raised an eyebrow at him when he'd opened his eyes again. Her look was like that of Anzu's, the one that said without words, you either tell me what your hiding or _else_.

Yugi giggled nervously. _Damn… this really must be Anzu's past self… _"Heh heh… wasn't there… uh, some… accessories we needed to get? Anuksu?" Yugi tried, and immediately, the girl's mood shifted.

"Right! Come on Yugi, with what he have left, we can really get you the quality goods!" Anuksu grinned, dragging Yugi from the seamstress' home and back out and onto the busy street.

He was a half glad, and half saddened by the fact that Anuksu's attention could be distracted so easily, and had to wonder if perhaps, she was acting so flighty because she knew that he didn't really want to talk about it.

Whatever the reason was, they left the house with the many different cloth and silk, and entered the bustling streets of the town.

The noise and the sights, reminded Yugi of his first day there, when he'd been captured by Jonoh, except this time, he wasn't carrying loads of things. Nope, this time, it was some poor guard whom Atemu had sent with them on their excursion.

He was short for an Egyptian, but stout, and had broad shoulders. He looked like a man one would not wish to get in a fight with. Yugi couldn't recall his name, though he was sure it started with a "Tu".

"That one there. See, Yugi? It would match your outfit splendidly, and with the quality of that, you'll chime like the desert breeze." Anuksu said excitedly, and the vendor of the chain of small, silver , plates shook the tiny crafted piece and the plates knocked together creating a soft ring, like a very high pitched bell.

Yugi looked at it in amazement. The sound was numbing, and made his arm hairs raise. It truly was a magnificent work of art, and probably worth more than his life.

"Sugoui…" Yugi breathed out, his fingers itching to touch it.

"We'll take that one, and…. Those slippers if you don't mind." Anuksu said with an athoritive ring to her tone, and brought Yugi back to the present as she handed over the large sum of money, only then realizing that the shoes she purchased where tiny and golden, and though he was indeed small, his feet were anything but dainty.

"Uh… Anuksu…" Yugi asked, looking pointedly at the shoes when she turned back to him. She glanced between him and the object in question before grinning wildly, and leaning down close, to whisper in his ear. So that Tu-kun, as Yugi had decided to call him, would not hear, he was sure.

"Well, what's the harm in picking up a few items for myself? After all, when the pr-aA is paying…"

Yugi started to laugh._ Anuksu… Anzu…. There really is no difference. _Anuksu winked at him, and then dragged him off again as quickly as that, leaving Tu-kun to pick up the weight of their bought items.

XXXX

It was high noon, and the sun was pouring into the throne room, heating it uncomfortably. The sandstone flooring was almost too hot to walk upon, and Atemu was partially grateful that he wore his shoes everywhere but in his own rooms. The last of his council had left for the afternoon, driven out by the sun and the heat, and the Roman's seemed to find the shade of their rooms to be much more inviting than the scorching sun of his lands.

_Would have thought that they would be out wrecking havoc upon my people by now. Perhaps I was mistaken. _Atemu thought to himself distantly.

With the thought of the Roman's came the memory from early that morning, and Atemu scowled. He'd not expected Pragus to attempt such a fool hearty move after he'd said that Yugi was his special slave, a gift, and was obviously precious to him. Another scowl marred his features and he sunk lower in his throne with a groan. The man's excuse had been about as bad as the sight Atemu had found when he'd thrown the door open and found Yugi trapped in the other man's arms, face curled in panic and fear.

_The lords share their pleasurable company with guests in Rome? Somehow, I doubt that. _Atemu thought testily, his fists clenching tighter by the moment.

The treaty had been discussed, though not in formal detail, and both sides seemed to be unable to agree on certain aspects of the document. A heavy sigh escaped Atemu's lips and he rubbed his hand over his face in an attempt to push his head ache away.

He should have been in his study, but the thought of looking over the documents that only seemed to show more problems, didn't sound so appealing at the moment. So much needed to be done, and he had little to no time to complete it.

The soft sound of a door being pushed open, brought Atemu's attention to the intruder. He was half tempted to pick a fight with whoever had walked in, and mentally hoped that it was Seth who'd entered the room. His cousin could be quite rude and cold, and a bit of a stickler—much more so than Saimun—but he was a good friend, one that was easily prodded into a fight, and that was exactly what Atemu needed at the moment.

"Sorry, that seamstress kept nagging me on proper attire." Yugi said with a shrug as he came into the room in his servant's attire, the large fan trailing behind him.

Atemu blinked, surprised that he'd not even noticed Yugi's absence for most of the morning, though now that he was back, Atemu felt a weight lift from his shoulders.

"That's fine. Did you find all that you needed then?" Atemu asked, sitting up more straightly when Yugi approached him, the wide smile on Yugi's face infectious.

"Yeah, took forever though. Anuksu wanted to find the most expensive stuff, and then she made me show her my part of the dance over and over again." Yugi said, grabbing his head as if he was extremely put out. A smirk lifted the features of Atemu's face as he watched Yugi retell his day, the whole purpose of his bringing a fan along, forgotten. "Then, the stupid seamstress tried to get me into another skirt! I mean, come on!" Yugi complained, and Atemu outright laughed. The whole ordeal with the skirt was still a bit of a mystery to him, but he had gotten the idea that in Yugi's era the wraps and robes were considered un-masculine, and Yugi took offence to being placed in one.

"So, the dancers have added in your part?" Atemu asked, as a way to distract Yugi from his clothing problem. Yugi stopped pouting at him, and jumped up, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

"Oh, no, they put together a whole new routine for me. Well, so, their part is basically the same, only a few moderations. But mine is all new!" Yugi beamed, proud of his role for the moment, and Atemu had to wonder if his excitement was all a front so that he wouldn't feel so guilty for making Yugi do this, or if Yugi had simply forgotten just who he was performing for. "Yami?"

"Hmm?" Atemu asked, meeting Yugi's eyes with a soft look, deciding that whatever the reason was behind Yugi's joy, it wasn't important.

Yugi was slightly pink, and the blush gave his ears a bright hue and traveled down to his navel. Atemu traced the blush with his eyes with a smile, finding Yugi to be quite adorable when he was like this. Yugi was fiddling with the fan, as if he was nervous of asking a question. "What is it, antyw akhu?" At his words Yugi's blush grew darker, and Atemu chuckled lightly at the sight.

Yugi gave a soft pout, and crossed his arms. "It's not funny, Yami!" The expression on Yugi's face, reminded Atemu of Saimun, when he had not been listening to the court again. It caused him to chuckle more. Yugi then stomped an impatient foot with a scowl. "Baka…"

"What did you call me, little one?" Atemu asked, surprisingly at ease with Yugi's odd language. It had become something he expected to hear from the smaller teen when he was aggravated, and Yami held it close to his heart, that Yugi felt comfortable enough to speak to him with such ease.

"Nani demo nai." Yugi said, whipping his head to the other side, picking up the forgotten fan and using it to cool Atemu down. The Pharaoh, made a face.

_I really need him to teach me his language… or at least some common phrases… _Atemu thought with a roll of his eyes.

"What was it, that you wanted to say or ask of me, akhu?" Atemu asked after a moment, tempted to grab the fan from Yugi's hands as it gave the youth something to concentrate on besides him. Yugi flushed again, and Atemu smirked, but held back his laugh, waiting for Yugi to answer.

"Um… I'm a … a bit nervous… about performing … tonight. And…" A darker shade of red colored his gentle cheeks, and he stopped the fanning motion, his hands starting to fidget instead. "… I was wondering if… you would…" Yugi's head bent down low, and his words came out as hardly more than a whisper as he finished. "… watch me practice?"

Atemu blinked, surprised that Yugi would be so hesitant to ask something so little.

_Why would he ask this of me in the first place? I am no dance master… _Yami examined the hopeful stance of the one before him, and felt a true smile lift his features. It was just the way Yugi was. He wanted his guardian's approval of his movements, and his friend's support. Both were foreign to Atemu, none-the-less, he was willing to try for Yugi.

_He can't be good for my sanity… next thing I know I'll be getting along with Bakura… _

"That would not be a problem. Show me." Atemu said, reaching out to pat Yugi's head gently. He seemed to be compelled to comfort and be kind to Yugi and assumed that it was because he was his protector by the will of the gods.

Yugi looked up, seemingly shocked, but the look quickly faded to one of joy, as he dropped the fan and moved to the center of the room, chattering idly. It brought an amused smile to Atemu's face as Yugi explained how the other's where set up and what they would be doing. He really was like a child, soft, small, and innocent beyond comprehension, and even as Yugi began his dance—his body moving and arching in erotic motions—it seemed nothing more than a dance. Atemu smiled, pride filling him as Yugi nimbly executed a low back flip, rising to his feet swiftly to continue the dance, his face now calm with the memory of the beat he'd be following.

_He has a cunning mind… and is very agile… he would be a dangerous opponent to have. I wonder if he knows this? _Atemu thought, sinking back into his seat to watch the remainder of Yugi's dance.

It, like so many other moments Atemu was starting to find important to himself, was interrupted as Seth stormed into the throne room. Yugi jumped and turned, on guard for who ever had entered. Atemu wondered for a moment, if that was a reaction brought on by his encounter with Pragus. Intense dislike surfaced for the man, and Atemu clenched his fists, anger resurfacing.

"What is it Seth?" Atemu asked, taking note that Yugi was gaping open mouthed at his high priest, looking as though he'd just seen a ghost.

Seth ignored Yugi's presence, and bowed before Atemu slightly, before rising with the perpetual scowl of his. As always, his news was not good. "It seems that our… _guests_ are blocking the trade route, and causing a bit of a disturbance. What should we do?" Seth asked, and from the way he held the millennium rod, Atemu had a good clue as to what his idea was.

_No… we can't send them to the shadow realm… the last thing Kehmet needs is another war with Rome._ He gave a heavy sigh, feeling weighed down once more. "Bring Pragus here, perhaps I can get him to control his men."

Seth seemed to dislike the idea as much as Atemu did, and Atemu smiled inwardly at his cousin, dismissing him. "Yugi, I want you up here by my side."

Yugi nodded, watching Seth like a hawk as he picked up his forgotten fan and returned to his side to complete his duties. Seth gave him an odd look, and Atemu realized that he had just called his slave by name. Internally he grimaced, knowing that his dear old cousin was going to have a joyous time asking him questions about his newest obsession, then questioning his skills as a ruler. Just the usual joys that came with ruling Kehmet.

XXXX

The soft fabrics felt good on his skin, and had he not been so nervous, Yugi would have enjoyed the texture more, but as it was, all Yugi could think about was how sick his stomach felt. _Doesn't help that I had to witness Yami talk political with Prego-man. _Yugi thought. The crude nickname for his assailant was pun off of the spaghetti sauce that he personally didn't care for. Yugi figured that since he couldn't have Yami blast his dirty butt to the shadow realm, he'd find other ways to stop fearing the man. Spaghetti sauce certainly wasn't worth fearing.

"Yugi stop fidgeting, and let me finish." Anuksu sounded more than annoyed with him as she desperately applied the make up and last of his outfit.

"Gomen ne…" Yugi whispered, and Anuksu stopped, giving him an exasperated look. "Oh, sorry, Anuksu… I forgot." Yugi said with a blush looking away. _I have to remember that this is not Anzu… and Yami's the only one that doesn't seem to mind my speaking in Japanese… _again he sighed, and Anuksu lightly smacked his shoulder, for once again interrupting her.

"What's the matter with you?" Anuksu asked, finally putting away her stuff and leaving Yugi alone. "You aren't nervous are you?"

"Well, I've never done this before… I prefer gaming to physical sports…" Yugi muttered, looking out the window at the setting sun. _Another day gone… Grandpa… everyone…. Yami. I Hope you're all fine… _

Yugi felt another pang of homesickness, and wrapped his arms around his middle. It wouldn't be so hard if he knew why he was back here in Ancient Egypt. If he knew that, he would have a goal to focus on, something to work towards so that he could return home, but there was nothing.

"Stop being so moody, everything will be fine. And I'm certain that once things calm down, and the treaty is signed, the pr-aA will do all in his power to return you to you're _far away_ home." Anuksu smiled, and patted Yugi's back, and he felt a little lighter at the comfort. _That's right… I'm not alone. I have my friends with me, in my heart, and Anuksu… and… Yami._ Yugi returned the smile, looking down at his hand, remembering the smiley face that had been drawn there, and drew strength from it. _Well, I seem to have run into everyone here… Anuksu, Jonoh, Saimun, and now Kaiba… er… Seth. Even if they don't know me, they're still here. I just have to believe in their friendship. _Yugi giggled, amused that he was starting to sound like Anzu.

"I was serious you Xrd! Stop laughing at me." Anuksu shoved Yugi, good naturedly and received another laugh from Yugi.

"I know! I know, thanks, Anuksu." Yugi giggled, feeling better, stronger, more in control.

"You are welcome, Yugi." Anuksu seemed to think for a moment before turning quickly to Yugi, with excitement in her gaze. "What did you do with your other… clothes." Her refusal to call his school uniform clothing, sparked a flare of indignation, but Yugi shoved it off, standing up.

"Well, I did have it hidden in the servants quarters, but because Yami wants me in his rooms now, I took them out, and hid them under the pillows of my …. bed." Yugi explained, unsure of what to call his sleeping place. It was a bunch of pillows and blankets, not exactly a bed, but Yugi didn't want to sound like he was complaining, and the thought of calling it the harem's bed, brought up too many reminders of his dreams.

"I have an idea." Anuksu whispered, and Yugi paled, not liking the sound of that. Yugi was promptly dragged down the halls and up to Yami's rooms, where he was shoved inside. "I can't go in there, so you have to. Bring out that neck thing you came here in."

Yugi gave her a funny look, but made his way to his 'bed.' Shifting under the many pillows he dug up his collar. The neck belt shone in the fading light, and Yugi held it a bit more tightly, before turning and running out.

Dinner would be starting soon, and then… _I'll have to dance… _Yugi blushed, realizing that he really only wanted to dance for his dark, and handed the neck belt to Anuksu as a form of distraction. _I just want his approval that's all… I'm not hoping to get a rise out of him with my… suggestive… dancing… ARG! I am NOT gay! _

"Perfect!" Anuksu all but squealed and Yugi smiled, reminded again of his crush back home.

"Why did you want that?" Yugi asked, inwardly hoping she wasn't planning to keep it. His fears were laid to rest when Anuksu leaned forward, her golden colored, bikini-like, top, showing more of her cleavage, forcing Yugi to look away, as she slipped his neck belt around his throat and after a moment, secured it in place.

"There, now you look perfect." Yugi blinked, and touched the collar, feeling a little more comfortable, though he was still practically naked.

"What do you mean, Anuksu?"

The girl winked and ruffled his hair. Yugi pouted, wondering if Anzu saw him as just a cute little kid as well, before she answered. "Now you can have your family with you while you perform."

An odd warmth filled his chest, and brought stinging tears to his eyes. Yugi smiled, and tried not to smudge his make up, while holding the tears back. "Thank you. Thank you Anuksu." Yugi whispered, and the girl smiled, wrapping her arm around him casually.

"If you really want to thank me, don't screw up the dance."

Yugi giggled.

"Sure Anuksu."

XXXX

Once again the dinning hall was filled with voices and noise as the evening meal was shared. The great sun had fallen behind the sand to be devoured by the giant beetle of night, now the halls were lit by torches that flickered and crackled in the growing darkness, illuminating the room with a shadowed glow.

Atemu watched it all in boredom, annoyed with the rambunctious way Pragus' men were acting. They were a tiresome bunch, and seemed to enjoy pushing people around. He had to wonder if it was not due to their leader.

Said leader, was again by his side silently eating, and Atemu stifled a glare that rose to his face. He could still remember the lustful way he'd eyed Yugi as they had discussed the problem of his men. It had been solved quickly and simply, but still, the discussion had been one of Atemu's most hated, and it was all due to that man.

_Why does he wish to take Yugi? There are other options here to choose from. Any many willing victims for his needs. So why go after Yugi? _Atemu couldn't understand why the other would lust for his small light. Sure his innocence, and exotic look, were endearing and cute, but sensual? Atemu shook his head.

_Perhaps it is because Yugi looks younger than he is…_ Atemu's attention drew to the hall, where Anuksu was looking in from around the doors edge. Atemu smiled, and clapped his hands ordering the music to pick up.

Silence donned in the room as the sultry tune began. It was slow, like the morning, and whispered secrets like the wind, and the dancers came in with it, moving instinctually with the sound, as if they were the sand that the wind picked up.

The girls were clumped together, and blocked Yugi from sight, as they took up their position in the center. They formed a ring of gold and sand around the small kneeling form in the center. From Yugi's earlier practice, Atemu knew that the center person was the small teen. The dancers where wrapped in their usual attire, their colors for once the same—hair and faces covered by a scarf—sunlight and sand, creating a deep contrast with the blue, and silver robed Yugi in the center.

His multi-colored hair, pinkish red, black and gold, looking like the multitude of colors found in an oasis. Atemu smiled, realizing that the other dancers where showcasing Yugi, and placing the success of their performance in his small hands.

The beat changed ever so slightly and Yugi rose up, moving like the Nile, and the girls parted, continuing their sinful dance of the earth and heat, around the coolness of the life giving water.

Atemu smirked, feeling proud at how deathly silent the hall had become the moment Yugi moved, and then his light looked up.

Atemu stopped breathing.

_Ra… is that… _

He held his breath in wonder at the beauty that Yugi was. His eyes had been outlined in kohl, making his already large eyes seem more profound. The odd amethyst color of his innocence sparkled, and was reflected by the soft, sheer, purple veil that rested over his head and shoulders. The color of royalty, Atemu's color.

Proof that Yugi belonged to him.

Atemu swallowed, completely awestruck at the attire that Yugi was adorned in. Soft silver shoes captured his feet, and a chiming anklet wound about one tiny ankle. Just inches above which was billowy pant legs, each cuffed in silver, that led to his hips where a scarf with matching coins hung. The fabric seemed to fade from dark to a light blue, but how that was possible was a secret that the master weaver seemed to keep to herself.

Yugi's top was bare, save for the dark blue vest that barely brushed against the bottom of his rib cage, edged in yet more moonlight. But it was the black thing around his throat, which showed off how perfectly white his skin was, that made Atemu's heart lurch.

_akhu… _

The music halted, and Yugi shifted, moving slowly into the position he'd shown to him to be his intro. The music picked up once more and Yugi began to move.

Slow and sensual, his body rolling to the rhythm, that all life seemed to know. His hips swaying and thrusting every now and then. His arms moved up to above his head, as though he was a captive, the moonlight trapped within the desert. His eyes remained closed, as the desert spun around him in the form of the other dancers.

His feet barely moved as he removed his veil, dancing with it, like a shadow to his light. He sunk low to his knees bending backwards, body arching as the beat picked up.

Atemu shook, trapped by the image, his body becoming uncomfortably warm. This was where Yugi would flip, and as he did so, Atemu gripped the side of his chair, at the playful smirk that lit Yugi's face and eyes, as he peered up through the veil that now covered his face.

It was sinful innocence, the passion of the pure, and Atemu could hardly move his eyes to blink as Yugi portrayed the secrets of the glorious night. The music picked up pace and Yugi was spun around the girls. Each one taking hold of his hand to lead him into the massive dance, the movements erotic, showing the lovemaking that the night hid away, that the moon was unable to spy upon. They rolled faster and faster until Atemu's heart was hammering desperately with in his chest. The urge to run out and grab that small moving body was nearly over powering, as again Yugi was upon his knees dancing before Anuksu, he leaned back once more, his hair brushing the ground, and the music ended abruptly, and the dancers froze; Yugi on his knees arched backward, baring his chest, head thrown back as if in passion.

Silence rang loudly in the hall, the room completely forgotten by Atemu, his crimson stare locked upon the boy. His body was on fire, his mind fogged by the intense desire to feel that body against his own, as they spun their own sinful dance.

_What… what am I…_

Atemu shook his head harshly, banishing the thoughts from his mind, and immediately took note of the lustful glint in Pragus' eyes. Rage boiled over, and Atemu rose to his feet clapping his hands to dismiss the dancers. Yugi looked confused as he promptly fell from his held position.

Mahado, was by his side in an instant, ushering Yugi from the room with out Atemu having to say anything. Inside, he shook, terrified at his own thoughts.

The image of Yugi as he'd fallen, should have calmed Atemu's raging lust, but it did nothing, and the Pharaoh, shakily sat back into his chair, his entire body tingling and sensitized.

_What is wrong with me… why..? _

"I can see why you'd keep him to your self , Pharaoh, he is quite talented. I can imagine that he'd be miraculous in bed." Pragus said, as he tipped his wine glass to his lips drinking heavily. The comment was offhanded, and a bit of a jest, meant to annoy, but for Atemu it caused a sharp shiver to drive down his spine.

_Yugi… dancing… writhing… beneath me… on my bed… _

Atemu suppressed the low moan that rose in his throat, and clenched his hands more tightly, his eyes sinking half closed at the image that had broken free in his mind. His body heated, and lower anatomy hardened for a moment, before a memory intruded and shattered his fantasy, and rising hormones.

_ Yugi was struggling, panicked in the other man's grip. Eyes wild with panic, he was a trapped animal, ready to snap, to do anything to escape. He called out to end the matter, and those eyes turned toward him with such, hope and relief that it made his heart squeeze. He was safe, and he knew it._

_What am I thinking? _Atemu scowled, at his plate, waiting patiently until his guest had finished their meals, before retiring for the night. His body had cooled from the memory of Yugi's near assault, and his desires made him feel ill.

_He trusts me not to do anything… am I no better than those Roman bastards?_ Atemu made a soft growling noise under his breath as he entered his room, throwing the door open, ready for a good nights rest.

Yugi was laying in the middle of his bed.

On his side, hands curled up by his face.

Dressed in his dancing garb.

Looking for all the world like a pleasure slave.

Atemu was rock hard in an instant.

"Yami? Are you all right?" Yugi's soft voice questioned, and Atemu shook, delighted at the sound of the nick-name that the small one had given him. His previous thoughts returned with a vengeance, and Atemu had to ball his hands into fists to keep from moving toward the boy, now sitting on his bed, looking so very fuck-able.

"I will take my bath before bed." Atemu said in a very curt manner, and watched the concern that lit Yugi's gentle features. He had to escape before he molested the boy, and so he turned toward the bathing room, and heard the rustle of fabric as Yugi moved to follow. Yugi's duties suddenly came rushing back to Atemu.

"Stop." He hadn't meant to sound so harsh, but in any case, it had stopped Yugi from moving. Atemu didn't dare to look back as he spoke, not wishing to test his control anymore this night. "I… I wish to be alone for a while akhu. It is not you, and you did wonderfully tonight, be proud. It's just… I wish to bathe alone." Atemu wasn't sure why he was bothering to make sure that Yugi did not misinterpret him, but he did. Yugi was quiet, but the room didn't feel pressured with sorrow or hurt, so Atemu took it as a good sign and escaped into the bathing room.

Once inside, Atemu closed his eyes, trying to ease away his need, but the image of Yugi laying so invitingly on his bed, the memory of what that small body could do, was burned into his mind, and nothing eased it's affects.

_What is wrong with me? One dance and I'm suddenly wanting to use him for my own needs? _Atemu shook his head. It didn't make much sense that he suddenly developed deeper feelings for the small boy—no, teen, but he had, and now he was in a bind.

_Probably my "drive for an heir" kicking in…_Atemu thought mockingly, reminded of Saimun's earlier prattle on how Atemu had no sister in which to procreate with—which was just fine by Atemu—and that sooner or later he'd have to take a mistress or marry into a royal line to continue his lineage. He'd scoffed it off before, ignoring his harem, feeling no need for them, but now, he was thankful he had one.

"Please bring a willing girl from my harem to me at once." Atemu said to the guard at the second exit to his large bathing area. The guard seemed surprised, but nodded and left to o his bidding.

Atemu sighed, disrobing, and sinking into the bath water, as a girl walked in. Atemu looked her way, making sure that she had not been dragged against her will, and was met with a sultry smile.

He gave a half hearted smirk as she drew near and knelt beside him, drawing him into a deep kiss. He allowed himself to float away on feelings alone, trying not to think of the way Yugi had looked as he posed at the end of the dance. Not wanting to wonder if Yugi would arch like that when he came.

_Forget it… let it go…_

Atemu stepped from the bathing room sometime later, alone, and satisfied. He felt somewhat empty after taking solace from a girl he did not know, but he pushed it aside, knowing that the other option would have left him feeling worse.

He wore a white wrap around his hips, his body otherwise bare and ready for bed. He noticed that Yugi's sleeping place was empty and glanced quickly to his bed, hoping that Yugi had not left back to the servant's room, and sighed as he found Yugi curled up on his bed.

This time, the lust was gentle, almost non-existent, and Atemu relaxed, approaching the bed slowly. Yugi was curled into a tight ball, sleeping against his pillow, and it brought a smile to the Pharaoh's face.

_antyw akhu… nDs mri… what do you do to me? _

Atemu stroked Yugi's bangs from his forehead, and was filled with amazement when Yugi turned into the touch, smiling in his sleep, whispering softly into the pillows, "…Yami…"

Shaking his head, Atemu pulled the blankets down and managed to move Yugi from atop of them, before slipping in and covering them both. Atemu lay staring at the ceiling for several moments, the night wind coming in through his balcony, cold and dry with the scent of the sands. He couldn't sleep, and couldn't get comfortable.

Atemu grunted, rolling onto his side, and was met with Yugi's sleeping face. The smaller must have rolled in his sleep and was now inches from him. The need to hold him close, was overpowering, and Atemu fell to it quickly, reaching out with both arms and slid them around Yugi's waist. His skin was soft and warm, and Atemu shivered, pulling Yugi flush against him, burying his face into Yugi's hair.

_WAD-wr… _

The smell of the sea seemed to surround him now that he was wrapped around Yugi's small form. It was calming, and Atemu found that finally he was tired and comfortable.

With a deep sigh, he relaxed, pulling Yugi close so that the boy's head rested upon his chest, his small arms draped over Atemu's body hands curled gently into the mattress by his sides. Atemu tightened his hold, his eyes drifting shut.

Somehow, this felt right.

_Ra, akhu, what have you done to me? _

The thought really didn't bother Atemu as sleep carried him way.

(Ending Theme: "Night Flowers")

_I'm wandering lost in the land of love;_

_please come find me._

_I hide my heart_

_that I thought I'd already wore the wings off of._

_The thousands of petals_

_which color my heart_

_make me yearn for you, almost sadly_

_Once more_

_Mirage that slips through my fingers_

_the moment I grasp it..._

_I want to steal away all of you._

_Brandishing a frozen knife,_

_love dances, scattering the night flowers_

_Love, comfort, let go - even my heart..._

_Feel it more intensely_

_If it's destiny,_

_then I don't need peace or warmth._

_Brandishing a frozen knife,_

_love dances, scattering the night flowers_

_Break, injure, seal it away - even my heart..._

_Love me more intensely_

**Translations: **

**nDs mri: Small desire.**

**Ore wa Yugioh. Teme wa … oji-ji no kuzu: I am the king of games. You (very rude form) are old waste.**

**Taskete ore: Save me.**


	10. Chapter 9

**A.N. Later.**

_**Chapter Nine**_

"… Yugi's trapped in my past, and I can not follow. If I run back to my memories, I leave this body with out a soul, and the body will expire leaving no place for Yugi to return to. All I can do is wait for his return. Kaiba found that there is a mention of Yugi in the ancient texts." Yami paused, his voice losing some of it's steadiness, and he glanced out of the window at the bright streets.

For a brief moment he wondered if Sugoroku was going to open the shop or not, but quickly shoved the thought off, not too concerned with the idle notions.

Sugoroku had moved so that he was slightly in front of Yami for this retelling of events, and Yami could tell that the elderly man was still unaccustomed to his grandson's body being controlled by another person.

_What would he say if he knew that he used to be my advisor once upon a time… _Yami managed a half smirk at the thought, but it was tempered with a deep remorse that brought the look down. Sugoroku seemed to notice this, for he reached out to pat Yami's shoulder comfortingly, his plumb eyes level and calm; soft with age and understanding.

Yami looked away.

_How can he look at me when it's my fault that Yugi is… that he will be… _Yami swallowed against the lump forming in his throat. He wanted to clear his conscience, but he had the feeling that bearing his feelings and fears about Yugi to Sugoroku, was not the best of ideas.

Firstly, he had no clue how the elderly Mutou would react to hearing that a spirit had homosexual feelings for his only grandson, and secondly, telling the grandfather that he thought he might rape the man's grandson wasn't too bright in and of it's self.

"Yami-kun?" Sugoroku asked in a even voice. The spirit darted crimson eyes to him, blinking several times at the image of his old confidant, if insane, advisor, and relaxed.

"Sorry, I'm still not used to being helpless in this situation. The implications… bother me." Yami admitted grudgingly, looking down to his hands, fingers woven together in his lap. It reminded him of the first time Yugi had held his hand. The way his smaller hand slipped so perfectly into his own. The pale, soft skin warm against his own darkened complextion. Yugi had not shied away from his ghost like appearance, had not been afraid or disgusted in the least. In fact, he seemed to recognize him in some way, and had simply smiled, extending his hand with a warm smile. Offering to share his life for nothing in return. Offering him freedom from his prison, and light from the darkness of shadows.

Light.

"… From what the tablets say, Yugi's soul must be sacrificed to the shadows in order to start the movement of history. He will cause the rift between the world of shadows and our world," Yami paused, his hands tightening, fingers biting into themselves as he shook, his anger welling to the surface. "… and Yugi will die."

The startled breath reminded Yami that he was not the only one in the room, and he looked up, immediately guilty for saying what he had so callously, and so plainly. This was the man's only family, aside from Yugi's mother, but as far as Yami knew, she was absorbed in her work and hardly ever home. To say that the man's only descendant would die so casually, was simply cruel.

… _and for all I know, I could be the one to sacrifice him… _The thought horrified the once Pharaoh, and he shuddered, chilled to the bone with the fear of what he might just do to 'save' his people.

"… he will return… after that… won't he?" Sugoroku's voice was paper thin, and Yami jumped up from the couch to support the suddenly, extremely pale grandfather.

"Mutou-san…" Yami called out, his brow wrinkled in worry for the man's heart. It had nearly failed him once, and could very likely do it again. Yami cursed himself for being so stupid and placed an arm around Sugoroku's shoulders, trying to coax him to rise.

_Perhaps it would be best for him to rest for the day…_

"You should lay down. Your heart's been through a lot the past few days—"

Sugoroku's grip on Yami's upper arm was strong and firm, and when Yami turned to face the man he was struck with the steady stare of the adventurer he'd met in his tomb well over a decade or two before.

"My heart is fine, Yami, now tell me what will happened to my grandson." The look left no room to dodge, and so, Yami nodded his head once, and felt the elderly man relax, ready for his explanation. Yami only hoped that he wouldn't be too disappointed with the answer.

"In all honesty, Mutou-san, I'm not sure. But the fact that he was born in this time leaves me to ponder two possible answers." Yami caught the glance that Sugoroku gave him and grit his teeth, wishing that he knew more. "My soul was sealed the shadow realm. But light cannot exist there, there for my light half must be stolen, banished etc. So, Yugi may just be the incarnation of my lost light half. Meaning that once he returns and… is sacrificed," Yami faltered at the word, feeling sick to his stomach before continuing once more. "that Yugi, would cease to exist." At the tenseness in Sugoroku's shoulders, Yami winced, his mind returning to the deal he'd made with the gods. Isis had explained what the ceremonial battle would entail if they went ahead with it. The winner of the duel would live, and the loser would be sent away to the afterlife. Suddenly Yami wasn't feeling so great about his deal with the gods.

_Have they seen this as a loss on Yugi's side? Is he to die because the gods see me fit to protect the word for another lifetime… alone? _

"And the other is…?" Sugoroku questioned, his voice shaking, and Yami breathed out a heavy sigh, pushing his thoughts away to face the problem at hand.

_A ruler shoulders the weight of his peoples despair and hurt. Their anger and fear become his own. I am a ruler… _Yami sighed, his thoughts much the same as they were when he was Atemu, as he put on a false look of surety.

"The second, is the most likely choice. That since Yugi's light is needed, and because my light was still attached to my soul at the time, Yugi's soul was taken as a replacement until the time that my soul is split. My light half will replace Yugi until the time that it is no longer needed, and Yugi's soul will return to it's rightful place." Yami gave a partial smirk, hoping that the front would fool the elderly man.

It did.

"That's a relief." Sugoroku said, slowly rising to his own feet, and Yami allowed him to move toward the door that led to the Kame game shop below. He felt wretched for giving the man false hope, but to allow him to worry would be a greater sin in Yami's eyes.

_It's time I stop cowering. If anyone is to suffer through this. It shall be me. _Yami's eyes shifted, landing on a portrait of the gang on the mantle. Sugoroku in the back harassing Jonouchi, Anzu laughing nervously, Honda laughing along, one arm looped over Yugi protectively, and the small boy held the puzzle in his hands, with all the reverence care of one who held the world.

Yugi had told him once, that no one should ever stand alone, least of all a ruler. Sure he had to be strong, but there was a great strength in friendship, and sharing. Yugi'd proven this point time and time again, but at the moment, the words rang hollow.

_Yugi is the glue that held us all together. The light that provided the strength required to trust and believe. And now… he's gone._

Yami frowned, walking to the portrait, his fingers easing over the frozen face of his light, his heart constricting painfully in his chest. Yugi was needed, and even treasured most by every member of their small group. He was an irreplaceable factor in all of their lives. Even Kaiba had a need that only Yugi could supply, the need for an opponent, one that he did not need to fear, one that he could trust to always play a fair game. Yami even dared to believe that his once priest saw his light as a friend.

_Aibou… please come back… this world needs not a Pharaoh, but the light of hope. Only you can give that. Please… come back…_

The once proud Pharaoh slumped to his knees and cried.

XXXXXXXX

_The room was silent as he waited, sitting cross-legged upon the large bed, his soft dancing garb enclosing him in a comfortable fashion. The royal outlook of the place screamed for attention, the golden script upon the pillars, the exotic tapestries that draped the floor and walls with vibrant colors. The gold and valuable trinkets that rested inside the living quarters all screaming to be admired, but the boy's attention was snared elsewhere. More specifically by the owner of the room._

_ "You danced well, Yugi." The Pharaoh said as he approached, his eyes half lidded, hungry and burning. Yugi squirmed feeling his body heat with expectation, and he fiddled with his hands as Atemu approached. The Pharaoh had removed his golden breast plate and now dropped his cape to the floor, sauntering toward the small duelist as though he were hunting his prey. His top followed shortly after, leaving Atemu in his white linen wrap, his bronze chest gleaming in the pale moonlight, dusky nipples taunt with the cool night's chill. "You look wonderful in that outfit, akhu. Tell me," Atemu now stood before Yugi, and Yugi's heart was thundering so loudly he would have sworn that it's hammering thump was echoing in the room. Atemu smirked, sitting down on the bedside beside Yugi. His added weight caused the bed to dip and Yugi was shifted just a bit closer to the heated body of his Pharaoh. "can I remove it for you?" _

_ Atemu's finger drifted down the side of Yugi's cheek and Yugi trembled, his mind a jumble of thoughts and feelings. Atemu smirked and leaned closer, his hot breath fanning on Yugi's face, and Yugi whimpered, trembling as the hand smoothed lower on his throat, the golden rings on that hand cold while the skin was burning hot._

_ "Was that a yes, akhu?" Atemu questioned, leaning further still, his finger sliding the right side of his short vest off of his shoulder slowly, branding his skin with his palm as he went. Yugi gasped, his eyes sinking closed with the feeling of that hand's seduction. "Yugi?" The question was a breath of hot air by his ear and Yugi squirmed finding his voice somehow._

_ "Since… wh—when does the pr-aA… need to… ask for.. anything?" Yugi let out a moan when the second hand slid down Yugi's chest, fingers brushing lightly over erect nipples. "Ah!" Yugi cried out, arching into the touch, and Atemu took the moment to slip his arm free of the vest on his right side, leaving the material hanging from his left shoulder._

_ "You are right, akhu… I had forgotten." Atemu sounded as though he were laughing when his lips descended to the exposed skin on his collarbone, and Yugi jumped, cooing as the lips nibbled upon his flesh, hot tongue bathing his skin as he suckled. Yugi's arm moved up, and the hand that had been stroking his chest moved to hold his left arm in place, the other smoothing up his right side, sliding up Yugi's shoulder and around his body to hold the nape of Yugi's neck._

_ "Oh… Yami…" Yugi breathed, and felt the moist exhale of breath from Atemu's nose, as the Pharaoh moved his open mouthed kisses up Yugi's neck, nibbling and sucking every so often. Yugi lifted his left hand to press it softly to Atemu's chest in encouragement, as he whimpered, needing to feel his kiss upon his lips._

_ A soft press of lips to his chin tore a whimpered groan from Yugi, and he tilted his head toward that warm mouth with a pout, and felt the vibrations of Atemu's chuckle through the hand that was pressed to the Pharaoh's chest._

_ "Alright, akhu, I will give you what you desire." Atemu whispered into Yugi's ear, and he shuddered, loving the feel before hot lips pressed firmly to his own. The kiss burned straight down Yugi's spine, and he parted his lips invitingly, not wanting to move slowly. Atemu indulged him instantly, his tongue slipping past Yugi's lips to invade his open mouth. _

_ A sharp shiver ran over Yugi's body and Atemu pulled him closer, pressing his mouth more firmly to Yugi's in a harsh dominating gesture. Yugi melted, allowing his head to tilt back, his mouth opening further to grant the pharaoh's every wish. The arm holding his wrist snaked around Yugi's waist pulling him flush against the heated body, and Yugi moaned, smiling, spreading his legs slightly so that Atemu was slightly between them._

_ His pale hands stroked the skin of Atemu's chest, feeling the silky texture of his sun kissed flesh, fingertips passing over nipples gently. Atemu pressed forward, easing Yugi back upon his bead, and Yugi readily submitted, his legs twining around Atemu's hips invitingly as the kiss grew desperate._

_ They parted with an audible sound, and Yugi savored the moment until Atemu whispered to him once more. "Open your eyes akhu, I want to see you when I take you." _

_ Yugi squirmed delightedly and opened his eye, grinning widely. He drowned in fiery crimson, watching those talented lips lift up in a smirk, and it became too much. Yugi locked gazes with his lover, and returned the playful tilt of lips, cocking his head to one side before saying the very crude comment he planned to use, his backbone in place, and ready for a battle._

_ "Yami, fuck me." _

Amethyst eyes flew wide open to stare around a darkened, quiet room. Deep worried breathes escaping from the open mouth as Yugi awoke from his wet dream. _What the hell was that? I wanted… liked… and… and…NO! I am NOT GAY! _Yugi blinked several times, and shook his head as he moved to sit up and perhaps smack some sense into himself, when he realized that he was pinned down by something. _Huh? What is… _Yugi slipped his hand down his body realizing that he was still in his dancing outfit, and blushed at the memory of his dream. _I am not gay…. I am not gay… _Yugi repeated to himself as he tried to recall the events from the night before, but everything seemed hazy from sleep at the moment.

A quick look around the room, and Yugi knew that he was in Atemu's chambers, under heavy blankets, on a bed, and that was when his hand met the skin of another's arm wrapped securely about his waist.

Yugi let out a squeak, and the arm pulled him back and against a broad, and very _bare _chest. Yugi's eyes widened and his mouth fell open, rational thought flying out the preverbal window as the horrifying notion, that maybe it hadn't been a dream at all, clicked into place.

Next, Yugi did what any normal human would do in his situation.

Yugi screamed.

He opened his mouth and screamed. The loud cry jerked the Pharaoh from his slumber and promptly threw him into a panic. His arms and legs pin wheeled for a moment as he jumped up to face whatever enemy was attacking him, and Yugi took this moment to get mad, and promptly kicked the Pharaoh off the bed.

Yugi stopped his screaming at the satisfying thump that came from the other side of the bed, and curled close with a blanket up to his chest, his face flush with embarrassment and anger. _If he so much as dared, I'll make him beg for his next life in the millennium puzzle… _Yugi thought vehemently, glowering angrily as the frazzled looking Pharaoh looked up from over the bed side, from the way he was breathing, just narrowly escaping cardiac arrest.

"Yugi… what in Kehmet is wrong?" Atemu asked, standing up and crawling back onto the bed looking rather pissed off and slightly concerned. Yugi scowled and sunk deeper into his blanket-shield.

"What were _you_ doing to me?" Yugi asked in a deathly calm tone, the one Yami had quickly learned to be his only warning to flee before Yugi attacked, but this was a first for Atemu, and he seemed not to notice the danger.

"I was sleeping, until you started your yelling." Atemu glowered back, looking quite unamused, and it made Yugi feel guilty, and that in turn, made him even more irritable.

"Then why was your… arm around me huh? And…" Yugi blushed to the roots of his hair, "… where are your clothes?" Yugi squeaked, his voice cracking in delayed panic. _What happened last night? _

Atemu looked down at his naked form, before glancing around with a bored expression on his face as he knelt and retrieved the cloth from the floor.

Now Yugi's face had lost all color.

_We did! _Yugi began whimpering, unsure if he should rip Atemu a new hole in his body or sob, but did neither when Atemu shrugged, wrapping the cloth about his hips.

"It pulled off when you _kicked _me." Atemu stated sounding extremely pissed off at the fact that Yugi had hit him in any manner, and it returned Yugi's fire a bit.

"Well, I wouldn't have kicked you, if you hadn't have pulled me into your arms… and… why was I in you bed at all?"

Atemu blinked, then let out a groan, lifted up the blankets, crawled back in, rolled over on his side, and promptly fell back to sleep, or at least appeared to do so.

"Well?" Yugi cried, blinking in utter shock that he was brushed off so easily. Atemu gave a light groan and pulled the blankets over his head. Yugi glared, and crawled over to the lump. He'd had enough of playing the "good boy" role. He was alone with his Yami, and he wanted answers. Besides, if nothing had happened, then, why should he take things so seriously, and if something did happen…

Yugi pounced onto the lump shaking the shoulder in his hands when he heard the breathless grunt of pain, and Yugi smirked, memories from his time in his other's soul room returning with a warm soothing caress.

"Yami, why am I in your bed you pervert?" Yugi whined, and was promptly tossed off as Atemu sat bolt up-right glaring down his nose at Yugi, obviously offended at being called a pervert.

"I came in from dinner and bathed alone. When I returned you were already asleep here and I had not the heart to wake you. Though now I see my mistake." Atemu spoke between his teeth, and it reminded Yugi that his darkness was definitely not a morning person. Though with a quick glance out of the balcony, Yugi could tell that the sky was still dark, hardly even morning at all.

"Oh…" Yugi whispered, and his mind began to clear slightly, and memories flooded back in. _That's right… Yami was angry about something… but not me. He bathed alone, and I waited on his bed hoping to speak with him when he came out because I was feeling like it was my fault. I… I must have fallen asleep waiting for him…_ Yugi felt his face heat with embarrassment and he bowed his head, mortified that he'd just kicked Atemu from his own bed after taking it over the night before. "Sorry… antyw iwit…" Yugi whispered, and after a long moment, felt the bed shift as a large hand patted his head gently.

"You are forgiven. Now, if you do not mind, I would like some more sleep before Ra is reborn." Atemu stated, once again crawling under his covers. Yugi watched, uncomfortable, unsure of what to do. On one hand, it was his yami, and Yami and he had shared a bed before. In the non-sexual way of course. It usually happened when the nightmares came to Yugi, but over the years, he'd kinda grown out of that habit.

Then, on the other hand, this was also Atemu, Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt, and recently, the lead role in all of Yugi's wet dreams. _Must get out of this bed… now! _Yugi thought, scurrying to leave, when a warm hand wrapped around his wrist stopping him.

Yugi nearly jumped from his skin, when he turned, wide, frightened, eyes to the crimson stare behind him. His sudden courage erased with that simple motion. Pain flickered through Atemu's eyes, and he released Yugi, glancing away.

"You do not have to leave, akhu. After all, you've already slept here for half the night. If you wish to remain, I do not mind. I am sure that as your protector, sharing my sleeping space with you is nothing new." Atemu stated in that calm fashion of his, and it brought a smile to Yugi's face. _Yeah, that's right… Yami's not gay, and neither am I. We're partners, so sleeping together is no big deal right? _Yugi blushed at his own wording, but nodded, laying back down stiffly beside Atemu.

When the Pharaoh made no move to touch him, Yugi relaxed, though he felt oddly cold. Curling up Yugi closed his eyes to sleep, and unconsciously shifted closer to Atemu.

After a few more moments of restless shifting, Yugi settled into a comfortable position, consciousness slipping as sleep drifted in. The last thing he noticed was warm arms wrapping around him in a possessively protective embrace, cradling him close and safe. The cold feeling faded along with reality, and Yugi smiled, falling into a deep sleep. All thoughts of right, wrong, and wet dreams forgotten.

XXXXXXXX

The simmering heat of the day was rising in band like waves from the stone flooring and walls. The illusion creating heat waves mocked the Roman captain with their joyful dancing. There movements mimicked the sensual dance that seemed to be the pulse beat of this country, it's lifeblood and soul.

The image of a delicate, pale boy, dressed in the cool colors of the twilight sky as the sun set upon the horizon and the jeweled ebony sky took over the vast space with it's cold darkness, danced to the beat of the desert's song, innocent and so very delectable.

Pragus smirked cruelly, licking his lip at the image, feeling a sense of energized excitement pulse through his body, even as the heat caused beads of sweat to prickle his skin and made his clothing stick to him uncomfortably. These sensations only served to remind him of other activities, much more enjoyable, that caused that reaction with in ones body.

…_Work before pleasure._ Pragus thought with perverse joy, grinning to himself as he relaxed into his seat in the shade, waiting for his men to return from their tasks. _When this place is taken over, and the pharaoh properly killed… then his little dancer will be free for the taking… _Pragus laughed aloud to himself, startling a young serving girl who was bringing him the drink he'd requested.

She was small, slight, and darkened by the sun. She would have been appealing, had she had a bit more courage, but as it was, she was more broken than most of his first conquests, and if they put up no struggle, it was simply no fun in the end, for him.

Pragus took a long drink from his cup, savoring the slightly cooler liquid on his lips. Soon he'd be leaving the hot hell-hole, and return to Rome, on his ship with the salt winds buffeting his skin in soft kisses. Yes, in three days time, he'd be gone from this place and he'd bring the treaty back to his Cesar, and then the plan to infiltrate and take control of Kehmet would begin.

It was hard to believe that such a disgusting waste land could hold a power so great, that it stood a potential chance of being a threat to the great empire of Rome.

Pragus gave a scoff just as his men approached him looking over heated and tired, but they did not complain as they gave him a respectful bow and waited to be addressed.

"What have you found?" Pragus asked, surprised that his son had yet to show himself since being sent out on his mission. The thought was quickly shoved aside as the men stepped forward, grinning as they spoke.

"Ptoleme has found it."

Pragus smirked, sloshing his drink in his cup. "Then where is he?" He asked, eager to be on his way. The guards seemed to shuffle their feet, nervous, and Pragus felt a moment of anxiousness. "Well?"

"Sir, I'm afraid that it's heavily guarded and, Ptoleme, can't get inside." Pragus scowled, annoyance rising up inside of his heart. This was a problem that he was not ready to face.

"Does he had an idea on how to get inside?" Pragus asked, and was relieved when the soldiers nodded, their smiled back in place.

"Yes, there seems to be only one who could break inside, but all who approach him are met with a swift death. But women, seem to get a better response from him." The lead soldier said, his light colored eyes sparkling with excitement.

"And this person's name would be?"

"Bakura. Word is, that he is a thief king. That the Pharaoh himself is unable to catch this master thief. And he can be easily bought with a fair price."

"The price would be?" Pragus asked, and was greatly satisfied with his answer.

"The pharaoh's head."

Pragus smirked. "Now all we need is a messenger." Pragus brought the drink to his lips, wondering how he could convince a woman to betray her ruler and approach a man that was well known as being dangerous.

The bright laughter of the dancing boy, drew Pragus's attention to the corridor that led to the palace gardens. As he'd expected, the pale boy, dressed in his simple skirt wrap, a wrap that was so easily removed, was bouncing along beside the taller dancing girl he'd seen the first day he'd arrived.

"…and then I drew the dark magician card and—Anuksu are you listening?" Yugi chattered happily and the girl laughed, looking at the boy lovingly.

"Yes, Yugi, I am listening to every weird word you're saying, and following none of it." Anuksu laughed, ruffling Yugi's hair. The boy's mouth fell open in shock and the girl laughed louder stepping past the frozen boy.

"Anuksu-chan! Sono wa hidori desu!" The boy cried out in that odd language of his, as he ran after the girl, who continued to mock him.

"What was that? I don't understand your gibberish."

"Anuksu!"

Pragus smirked, an idea forming in his mind. His eyes watched the way the two walked, noting the protective stance the girl unintentionally kept over the smaller boy. She would do almost anything to keep him from harm, she could do nothing less.

"Tell Ptoleme to set up a meeting with this thief."

"But sir—"

"Are you questioning my orders soldier?" Pragus asked with a look that ordered the man to choose his next words carefully. The young man swallowed several times before averting his eyes. It disgusted Pragus that one of his men would be so spineless, and made a mental note to himself to kill the man when the next opportunity presented itself.

The Roman Empire did not need spineless bastards like that to defend its glory. "We have a person quite capable of speaking to this king of thievery. And she will agree, if she does not want harm to befall her little friend." Pragus chuckled darkly, downing the last of his drink, much to the confusion of his men, but the soldiers said nothing as they turned to follow their orders.

_Yes… this should prove to be quite interesting…_

XXXXXXXX

The golden light of Ra was gleaming off of the walls of the room, heating the air as it did everyday. This time though, the son of Ra was in no way comforted by his 'father's' glowing majesty.

_When will they leave? _Atemu thought darkly, rubbing his fingertips over the pounding pulse in his temple where a rather painful headache raged. The treaty had finally been made, and on his end, signed. Now all that remained was for Rome's Cesar to sign his end, and the whole threat to Kehmet would be over.

_And I can go back to worrying about tomb robbers and shortage in the food supplies. _Atemu was glad that the whole procedure had come to a close, and now all that remained was the customary two days of rest and preparation, and then Pragus and his annoying men would be out of his hair for good. Or so the young Pharaoh hoped.

The treaty had outlined the rights of each nation, saying that one would not attack the other unless provoked. That if one was in need of military assistance—highly unlikely on the Roman's side—that the other would come to aid, and the basic trading of goods and what not. So the likely hood of Pragus returning with an out post was next to impossible, even so, Atemu could still not relax.

The Roman soldiers, though not committing a crime since the trade rout blockade, had been a nuisance to more than just the palace officials. They hassled the people of his city, refused to pay for what they took from the traders, and generally made asses of themselves. Of course there where the few that were unlike the rest, but it seemed that in Pragus's troop, they were few and far between.

_And Pragus… _Atemu groaned covering his eyes with his hand, blocking out the sunlight that caused his head to hurt more. The man had not dared to call on Yugi since the night Atemu had caught him attempting to rape the small one, but he had made his enjoyment of Yugi's dances very clear. His leering grin, and roaming eyes had caused a deep hate to swell inside of the Pharaoh, and he detested the thought of Yugi being looked at like that.

Which brought up his other problem. Yugi was a bit _too _good at dancing, and due to Pragus, the small boy did so every night at the evening meal. Atemu had found himself guilty of watching the boy in the same manner that the Roman did. Worse yet, he had little control over his body's reaction towards his light.

Atemu shifted in his chair, eyes softening as he thought of Yugi. They way he moved to the driving beat and pulse of the music. His dancing robes so different and enticing as his body twisted and rolled, bring up fantasies of moving against that form. The sweat that would cling to Yugi's face and bangs as his exertion built up higher. His face flushed with his work, eyes closed allowing the music to control his every move…

Atemu cursed in hieratic under his breath, rising to his feet, and left his throne room with a low growl of displeasure. His thoughts were not helping his condition any, and only added to his problems.

The corridors where silent as the day wore one, heated and miserable, most either attending to their jobs, or hiding from the Roman filth that prowled the palace and city without.

Atemu paused in his hurried pace when he passed by the gardens and caught sight of a familiar figure sitting by the Nile, beside plants that actually grew there, smiling up and into the sunlight. From the distance Yami could barely make out the soft sounds of muffled humming, but smiled when he caught the faded sound.

Yugi had been complaining for several days about the necessity of "breaks" to the workers. Whatever that meant, Atemu could only guess, but he'd given in when he realized that most of his morning was to be spent with Pragus, and told Yugi to, "enjoy his break."

Yugi giggled at something, and flopped back to lay on the ground, amethyst eyes still lidded and his humming continued. It was amazing how simple it was to make Yugi happy, and it left Atemu with an odd feeling in his chest.

"pr-aA?" The voice slightly startled Atemu, and he was somewhat shocked that he'd been so engrossed in watching Yugi that he'd missed the approaching presence completely.

"Jonoh." Atemu answered with out moving his eyes from the small boy, recognizing the low sound of his friend's voice. Since Jonoh's assistance in saving Yugi from Pragus's dirty plans, the guard had been less fearful to approach him, and as pleased as Atemu was that his friend was now showing signs of forgiving himself, he was also disheartened to find that the blond made sure to stay clear of him whenever Yugi was near. Whether it was because he still did not trust the youth, or whether he feared the boy's reaction, Atemu wasn't sure. Though he was relevantly certain that the later was not the case.

"The Roman's seem to be taking a day off of terrorizing the venders for the day. Guess the heat has persuaded them to be hospitable guests for the time being." Jonoh said with a light undertone of mocking jest. Atemu managed a snort of agreement. He would have made a comment if the soft humming hadn't grown and morphed into vocal song.

A chill ran down Atemu's spine and he shuddered at the sounds that drifted up to his ears from the lounging boy beside the Nile. He was singing in that other language that was native for him, the song chilling and sad, but it was hard to be sure for certain what with the distance between them and the wind that broke the tune apart at different intervals.

Jonoh stepped closer and Atemu lifted his hand to stall the conversation that the man was sure to try and start, wishing to listen for a bit longer to the soft voice that sang by the Nile. Jonoh seemed to catch the sound as he stopped and turned to look out at Yugi as well. They remained that way for several long moments, simply listening to the haunting words, until Jonoh suddenly began speaking, his voice unusually soft.

"When he first saved me, I was startled. I couldn't understand why he would do such a thing. Then, I thought that maybe he was mocking me, or simply trying to trick you into trusting him. I hated him." Jonoh laughed, and leaned casually against a large pillar that held up the stone ceiling, and Atemu gave him a glance, turning back to continue to watch his little slave, waiting for Jonoh to continue. He didn't have to wait long.

"I started to follow him around, to make sure that he wasn't a threat, and found that he was more sincere than most of those who work under you, who have sworn to protect you. I was amazed." Jonoh said, and Atemu smirked, chuckling out loud.

"He is an odd one isn't he? I myself couldn't believe his forgiveness of your actions. But that's just the way he is." Atemu shook his head, as a locust startled Yugi from his nap, and the boy jumped up and stumbled clumsily into the water, splashing around for a confused moment, before realizing that the bug on his head was not hurting him, and then started to laugh at himself for his foolishness. Atemu smiled warmly, touched at Yugi's carefree actions. "He's just too pure to be any other way."

Jonoh made an affirmative sound, pushing off of the pillar. "He thanked me, you know. For alerting you of his predicament with the Roman scum."

Atemu regarded his guard, watched as the man bowed his head, and let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head in astonishment.

"As if I could have done anything else…" Jonoh turned and walked away, forgetting to give the customary bow of respect, but Atemu didn't mind. No one was around to see, and Jonoh had more to think of than customs.

A warm breeze drifted up from the Nile and played with the strands of Atemu's hair, and he turned back to find Yugi back up on the grass, in those strange undergarments he'd called 'boxers,' wringing out the water from his wrap. He was muttering to himself in his own tongue, and the gesture brought yet another smile to Atemu's face.

_Such a being exists inside of me? Is my light? It's hard to believe… and yet… _

The sound of hurried footfalls alerted Atemu just moments before a small slave boy tumbled to the ground at his feet, gasping for breath and at the same time trying to get out his message and still remain polite before his god.

After a quick once over, Atemu found that the boy was one of those who served directly under his cousin, and if the boy had come running, it meant that Seth was in one of his moods, witch was never a good thing.

_And things were finally starting to settle down… _Atemu complained internally, and sighed. _… but a day isn't complete with out some bad news from the High Priest pain-in-my-royal-ass… _

"What is it Hm?" Atemu asked, and watched the boy relax at the acknowledgement and that he was now able to relay his message without fear of reprisals.

"The High Priest requires your immediate presence." The boy said in a small voce.

"Lead the way then." Atemu said and made sure to keep his pace slow, so that the boy felt it safe to take his time, and catch his breath.

_This had better be worth it… _

Knowing Seth, the world was probably coming to an end.

XXXXXXXX

The normal sounds of the bustling crowds did little to relax the fear that swelled inside Anuksu's chest as she wove her way through the people and into the less crowded area behind the venders. Here heart played a driving beat with in her, it's fearful thrum drowning out even the yelling voices of the merchants who wished to wheedle money from those foolish enough to buy from them.

_What am I doing? _Anuksu thought fearfully, her hands fisted before her heart as though her arms were a shield against the threat she was approaching. _How can I even consider doing this? It's a crime, and… and… _

Anuksu felt sick, her face dotted with beads of sweat that made her cold and clammy even in the hot afternoon sun. It all felt like a nightmare to her, and most of the sounds had become nothing but a low drolling hum in her ears, like the rush of the Nile as a crocodile dove forward to snatch it's idiotic prey.

_And that's what I'm doing! I'm walking straight into the mouth of that crocodile, and for what? _Anuksu thought with an angered fear, quite ready to turn and run back to the palace, up to the pr-aA and tell him exactly what the Roman's had requested of her, what they wanted her to do.

But she couldn't.

The image of the pale pr-aA look-a-like, flashed before her minds eye as the small one practiced the moves of a dancer, his steps unsteady and clumsy as he tried to move in ways that a man was not made to, yet he managed somehow. Just as he managed everything else.

He was the reason she was here.

_"Help us… or we'll kill the pale slave boy." _

Anuksu shivered, the threat still burning in her ears as she made her way through the throng of people. The parchment in her hand crumpled as she entered the meeting place. Several vacant houses lined the sides creating a boxed in appearance, and it unnerved the dancer greatly. She could feel her pulse in the hallow of her throat and choked back a cry that built up inside of her chest.

_I have to save Yugi… so… _

Anuksu set her face into a determined and unfearful mask and stepped into the center. The sound of life seemed to still, as the wind died. The sun beat down upon as though Ra himself stood above her watching her in hated anger as she put his son into such peril.

She was just beginning to feel guilt when a shadow moved to her right. Anuksu jumped, and spun to face the approaching danger, her eyes widening in fear. A deep chuckle reached her ears and froze her heart in her chest.

"The messenger is a frightened girl?" The person stood half covered in shadow, the rest in the sunlight. His hair was bleached white by the sun, his skin dark from the same, though it was marred by the white jagged scars that puckered his skin. His left check seemed to have a tick, as it twitched every so often, making his eye squint.

Anuksu felt the blood leave her face as she tried to stand her ground and put up a brave front. She lifted her head up high, and lifted out the note she was to deliver to the tomb robber. "Here." She stated, not wishing to spend anytime with the murdering bastard than was absolutely necessary. The man eyed the parchment slip with a leering eye. His toothy smirk causing the skin on her arm to crawl. He slipped away from the shadows like a snake in the sand, slinking his way through the dust until he was directly before her. Anuksu suppressed a scream and a shudder and lowered her eyes, hoping not to offend, or cause the dangerous man to attack her.

It occurred to her that he may not even be able to read the message, and a bubble of dread filled her insides. Did she have to stay and deliver the message to him herself? It would not be unlikely for this tomb robber to be illiterate, but it was unlikely that he would be so good at robbing the tombs of the pr-aA's and not be able to read the carvings on the tombs.

"What a rude greeting…" The voice growled by her ear, and Anuksu jumped, realizing that he'd moved closer yet and was now breathing directly into her ear. She jerked back out of habit and was pulled to a halt as the silver haired thief's hand gripped her own. He grinned leeringly at her and her stomach felt heavy. With a quick move she was pinned to the ground the heavy body pressing her's down.

A cry broke from her mouth but was quickly stifled by the dagger that pressed against her neck, cold and sharp. "Now, now, we can't be making a sound, or we might be caught." The thief said mockingly, his breath smelling rank as it billowed across Anuksu's face. She trembled in fear of her own life as silent tears soaked her face. "Heh, there's a good girl…"

The hot moist tongue pressed against her cheek, liking her tears as one hand lifted to her bosom. More tears leaked out and she whimpered, wishing that she was stronger, bolder, braver.

_Why? Why am I so… so… weak?_

Something scraped against her skin between her breasts. Lips crashed to her own harshly, a sour, bitter taste filled her mouth as her assailant slipped into her mouth, and then the pressure and weight lifted from her form.

A cruel laugh filled her ears and stopped her breathing for several long moments before she heard the thief retreat, his words calling back mockingly, "Please return this to the rightful people. I'll take their offer."

For several long moments Anuksu lay on the ground unmoving, her body aching all over with every pain filled breath. Slowly her fingers twitch, then curled into fists as she shakily rose to her knees angry, bitter tears burning her eyes. She spat upon the sad, watching the darkened spot dry before she rose to her feet, heading back toward the palace, broken, and angry.

_I hate… I hate it!_

XXXXXXXX

Cautiously he moved into the darkened room, eyes scanning the elegant room lit only by the flickering light of torches. A cold wind blew in from the balcony, gossamer curtain billowing out with life with each chill sigh the night gave, and in return the flames danced just a bit more erratically. _What was he doing, staying up here, not even eating… baka…_

Yugi thought as he crept into Atemu's rooms. He hadn't seen the pharaoh since early that morning when he'd kicked the man from his own bed. Yugi blushed at the memory. He'd felt bad when he found the bed empty beside him when he awoke. He'd quickly left to find Anuksu, who left him shortly after that in the gardens.

She had yet to return.

There had been only a short performance at dinner. Something Yugi had enjoyed even less than normal with the absence of his dark, and now he was here in the royal bed chamber, only to find Atemu looking bedraggled and sickly on his bed.

"Yami?" Yugi asked with concern. He quickly moved toward the bed side where Atemu sat, dressed in his simple wrap, shoulder's drooping. Atemu slowly turned to face him, his crimson eyes glazed and tired looking.

"Oh, akhu, you're back." Atemu's voice was quiet, and it caused Yugi to worry. He felt his face wrinkle with a frown as he quickly took in the flush to Atemu's otherwise pallid complexion.

"Yami… what's wrong?" Yugi asked, watching Atemu's eyes as the pharaoh slowly digested his question. Atemu's slow response only added to Yugi's distress.

"Nothing, akhu, just a few matters that needed my attention. My cousin has a tendency to make me worry and over-think matters. I will be fine." Atemu gave a soft smile, his hand reaching out to pat Yugi on the head gently.

Yugi felt the heat the moment they made contact. _Damn it… you idiot, you got a fever… most likely a stress fever… _

Yugi gave a sigh, and stood up, moving to his hastily made bed, quickly grabbing all the blankets there and returned placing them over Atemu.

"akhu?" Atemu's question was clear in his tone, and it only made Yugi's irritation rise. Yugi snorted through his nose, quickly pushing Atemu back and pulling the blankets up to his chin. The Pharaoh immediately began to protest.

"Akhu, what are you doing? Those are for you to use, why—"

"You gave yourself a stress fever you idiot!" Yugi snapped, though his tone was a bit gentler than what he'd intended. Yugi looked up, not all that surprised to find incomprehension on the regal face. _I just can't be angry with you… can I? _

"Just lay back, okay? You need rest, I'll take care of you, okay?" Yugi smiled gently, cupping the pharaoh's cheek lovingly. Those expressive red eyes widened in shock before he relaxed back, and nodded. Yugi was glad that the man was listening to him when he felt the heat coming from his face. "Now don't move, I'll be right back." Yugi ordered before running to the bathing room. Carefully, he dipped his vest into the cool water, rug it out, feeling the droplets run over his fingers before returning.

Atemu jerked at the feel of the cold cloth to his face, but quickly relaxed when Yugi began to talk. For a long while they remained quiet, and Yugi tried to remember anything that his mother or grandfather would have done if he'd been sick. _Man, what always put me to sleep? Besides homework… well, there is always… that… _Yugi thought turning slightly pink himself with embarrassment.

A soft grunt of discomfort came from Atemu, as the man, shifted, trying to get comfortable, and Yugi sighed, tossing his discomfort out the window. _Oh well, at least he can't tell Jonouchi and Honda-kun about this… _

He took in a large breath of air, gain courage from the smell of the desert wind and the burning torches. It reminded him of how far away he was from home, and as it had done earlier that afternoon as he laid in the garden looking up into the unforgiving sky, urged him to remember. _If he teases me I'll leave him to care for himself… _Yugi thought blisteringly, and then, began to sing.

XXXXXXXX

Atemu's head pounded painfully, feeling hot compared to the rest of his frozen body. The cool cloth on his head felt relieving, and he was glad that Yugi was by his side. He'd begun to worry when the small boy had started to speak of sicknesses. He had no time to go to the healers, no time at all. Especially now, with Seth's latest premonition of doom.

_Just what we don't need, more dreams of darkness, and of problems with the shadow realm… _Atemu's head gave another pounding protest to his thoughts and he gave a groan, wincing and shifting as if that would save him from the inner agony inside of his head.

_It will all end horribly… it should have never been messed with, the shadows… they are just too powerful… there is… is nothing that can control them… _Atemu frowned, unsure of which problem he should fear more, the one from Rome, or the one from the monsters that he 'controlled'.

The soft, wavering notes of a song, broke Atemu's wandering thoughts, and he opened his eyes, quickly meeting the closed ones of the boy beside him. Yugi was dark pink, from embarrassment, and Atemu couldn't help but watch as the blush continued down across Yugi's chest and all the way to his belly-button, before it tapered off. Atemu smiled, thoughtfully before recognition dawned on him, and brought him up short.

_Wait… this is… what he was singing in the garden… _Atemu thought as his hair rose on end, responding to the haunting melody of the song. Yugi's voice was surprisingly high for a boy of his age, and gave the pharaoh the impression that it was a woman's song that Yugi was singing to him.

It was haunting, and alluring, but at the same time, it relaxed him, even though he didn't know the words at all. The song was a lot like the boy who sang it.

His voice moved up and down to a solid beat, and slowly, Yugi's fingers began to brush through Atemu's bangs, stroking his forehead in a lulling manner, his song entrancing him.

"_Mukudori yamabato koganegumo_

_omurasaki mo yume no naka_

_otsukinisou wa nemurenai_

_gin no shizuku wo nonda kara_

_A Dream, dream, no dream_

_yoru no koe mori ni watareba_

_A dream, dream, no dream,_

_oyasumi yoiko_

_ashita sametara agemashou_

_kiichigo natsugumi yamaboushi_

_Yuusuge kisuge konohazuku_

_yofukashi nousagi benisuzume_

_shippo no kireta tokage no ko_

_kawari ni tsukeru ryuu no tama_

_A dream, dream, no dream._

_yoru no koe mori ni watareba_

_a dream, dream, no dream_

_oyasumi yoiko_

_ashita sametara agemashou_

_genge no juutan mimi kazari_

_Dokuzere Asebi yamakagashi_

_mozu no eda ni wa amagaeru_

_kitsune ga tabeta shika no ko wa_

_tsuki no momo-iro mite shinda_

_A dream, dream, no dream_

_yoru no koe mori ni watareba_

_a dream, dream, no dream_

_oyasumi yoiko_

_ura no sugi no ki naita nara_

_akai fuku kite nigemashou_

_oyasumi yoiko_

_oyasumi..._

_saa…"_

Yugi's voice trailed off to a wisher near the end, and the cool wind from the desert rushed in to fill the gap in sound, as though the night's breath had stolen the song itself. Unconsciously, Atemu reached up to grab Yugi's hand as he moved to remove it from him. Atemu's heart beat a little faster with fear, fear that Yugi would be taken by the night as well.

The absurdity of that thought was lost with the heat that was slowly leaving him, and he clung to Yugi's hand for a long time, until Yugi managed to make eye contact with him.

"Yami, what's wrong?"

The question finally seemed to break through to his rational mind, and Atemu released the fingers he'd held trapped. "antyw iwit… it is nothing."

Yugi slowly took back his hand, his amethyst eyes never leaving Atemu's own, and a warm comfort filled him with the small connection. Yugi seemed to accept his response and moved about tucking him in, and flipping the cloth on Atemu's forehead, placing the cooler side to his flesh, and allowing the cold air to cool then now warm side.

"What, did that song mean, akhu?" Atemu asked once Yugi was settled by his side. Yugi let out a small embarrassed laugh, and the sound further relaxed the pharaoh. The sound of such carefree innocence was a balm to his over taxed mind, and he welcomed it readily.

"Well, it's kinda hard to translate, but… I'll try." Yugi said uncertainly, and then began. His sentences where short an broken, and he paused periodically, singing the song under his breath to recover words and sentences, but eventually he managed to translate the song fully.

"_A gray starling, a turtledove, a Japanese gold beetle,_

_and a giant purple butterfly, all in a dream._

_The evening primrose can't sleep_

_because it drank the silver drop._

_A dream, dream, no dream..._

_Voices of the night... If you traverse the forest..._

_A dream, dream, no dream..._

_Goodnight, my darling child._

_When you wake up tomorrow, I'll give to you:_

_a raspberry, a summer oleaster, and a dogwood._

_A day lily, a yellow lily, a screech owl._

_Staying up late: a wild rabbit, a tiger finch._

_A baby lizard without a tail..._

_In its place, a dragon jewel._

_A dream, dream, no dream..._

_Voices of the night... If you traverse the forest..._

_A dream, dream, no dream..._

_Goodnight, my darling child._

_When you wake up tomorrow, I'll give to you:_

_a carpet of Chinese milk vetch, adornments for your ears._

_A water hemlock, a Japanese andromeda, a grass snake._

_On a branch with a shrike, a tree frog._

_The fawn that was eaten by the fox_

_had looked up at the ruddiness of the moon as it died._

_A dream, dream, no dream..._

_Voices of the night... If you traverse the forest..._

_A dream, dream, no dream..._

_Goodnight, my darling child._

_When the Japanese cedar 'round back weeps,_

_don your red garb, and flee._

_Goodnight, my darling child_

_Goodnight..._

_Come, now..."_

Yugi finished with a proud smile, but the translation left Atemu feeling oddly cold inside. His concerned expression must have been clear on his face, because when Yugi met his gaze he flushed and lowered his head a bit, peaking from beneath his bangs.

"Sorry, I can't translate it any better than that… though I doubt you know what a fox is…" Yugi muttered the last part under his breath. He shifted uncomfortably before Atemu, before excusing himself to rewet the wet cloth on his forehead.

As the small form disappeared into the other room, all Atemu could do was blink in slight fear.

_What kind of song was that? And how is that supposed to help calm me?_

Yugi walked back in, and this time refused to meet Atemu's eyes, obviously embarrassed from the pharaoh's reaction. Atemu had an urge to console the boy at his side, to reassure him that the song was good, but the creepiness on the words kept him from doing so.

"What… kind of song was that?" Atemu asked, and for a moment thought Yugi wasn't going to answer him, but was even more horrified when he did.

"It's a lullaby."

Atemu was stumped.

_A lullaby? It's a song for… Xrd? To put them to sleep? _

"… my mother used to sing it to me, every night after my father died." Yugi's quiet voice, again broke the pharaoh from his musings, and he looked toward Yugi with careing eyes.

The pale slave was smiling sadly by his side, his eyes a little distant, as though seeing something far away. "It was oddly comforting, even though it was scary. For some reason, it reminds me that death is also apart of life and good things. So, it isn't so scary, or sad, and that when everything is sad and gloomy that you have to run, to keep smiling, and be bright for others and yourself… or… you'll lose yourself…" Yugi's voice trailed off, and left Atemu in awe.

He stared at the boy with a new kind of respect and understanding. Yugi wasn't ignorant, nor was he completely innocent and naïve. He was just extremely wise, and in turn it showed through as a bright personality, and strength.

He was pure.

"Sorry, I'm rambling now." Yugi said with a grin, and Atemu suddenly wanted to reach out and hold him. To cradle him close and protect him from any pain that he still harbored. For there had to be pain, he knew. Atemu had lost his father at a young age, and he still hurt and missed him, even though he knew that his father had merely continued his life's path. For Yugi, who did not believe in the next world, the pain must be much worse.

… _what do you feel when you think of him, akhu? _

Atemu almost reached out, but was cut short when Yugi stood, tucking him in once more. "You think you could sleep now? I think your fever has gone down a bit."

Atemu blinked, and realized the subtle hint that Yugi wished to get off of the subject, and wanted to be alone. He nodded his head and gave a smile of reassurance. "Just be sure to take a blanket back with you, to your bed." Atemu said, letting his worry for Yugi show in that small way.

Yugi grinned from ear to ear, and nodded, taking one blanket from the pile with him as he moved to his little harem bed. "Oyasumi, Yami." Yugi said, and Atemu replied catching on that that was some kind of nightly gesture, and replied in kind.

"Good night, akhu."

Atemu watched as Yugi curled up on the pillows, pulled the blanket around his small form, and fell asleep. His face was starting to feel less heated, and the head ache was slowly leaving as his eyes drooped with fatigue. It was only as his eyes slid shut that he realized that Yugi had used his own top as a damp cloth, and that once again, he'd gone to sleep in that provocative attire.

…_Ra… that boy…what am I going to do about him… _

The night wielded no answers.

(Ending Theme: "Night Flowers")

_ai no kuni wo samayou_

_watashi wo mitsuke dashite_

_tsubasa ni wa mada_

_surikireta hazu no kokoro kakushite_

_watashi no mune wo someta_

_ikusen no hanabira wa_

_kanashii kurai anata wo koishiku saseru_

_mou ichido_

_sugaritsuku shunkan_

_surinukeru maboroshi_

_anata no subete wo ubai saritai_

_itetsuita NAIFU kazashi_

_ai wa mau yoru no hana wo chirashite_

_aishite, iyasarete, tokihanatsu - kokoro sae..._

_motto hageshiku kanjite_

_sadame nara_

_yasuragi mo, nukumori mo iranai_

_itetsuita NAIFU kazashi_

_ai wa mau yoru no hana wo chirashite_

_kowashite, kizutsukete, tojikomete - kokoro sae..._

_motto hageshiku aishite_


	11. Chapter 10

_**Chapter: Ten**_

The sun was setting on another day. The sky was painted with bright colors as the day came to a close, but it only reminded her of how long her best friend had been _gone_.

_Yugi, what's taking so long? You baka, we have tests coming up you know! And you can't expect Yami to take them for you! _Anzu thought sadly, wishing that she could yell those words at the small teenager whose smile alone lifted her spirits and caused her to hope for more.

Anzu's hand clenched into a fist. She hated not being able to do anything, but that was what had been laid out before them by Isis. There was no way for any of them to travel into Yami's memories to retrieve Yugi. If anyone tried, Yugi would parish. At least, that was how Anzu had taken the Egyptian's words.

_Yugi… _Anzu felt tears in her eyes, and harshly rubbed them away. She couldn't break down, she had to keep up her hope, after all, Yugi wasn't there to support them anymore, so it was up to her.

Kaiba had returned nearly a week before, with nothing but a few facts and reassurances from Isis that things where being taken care of, and that everything would be fine.

But that was all lies.

Nothing was fine. Honda was so irritable now that only Jonouchi could stand him. Jonouchi was quite and solemn, and Yami. Kami, she didn't even want to think of his reaction. He started to act like his old self, confidant and brave, but then Kaiba returned. Since then, Yami hadn't shown up for school, not that Anzu really blamed him.

Anzu watched the fading light with sad eyes. She missed Yugi, very badly. After all, they'd been friends since they had been little. It was his smile that she cared most for though. He was so small, you wanted to protect him. And he was so special, so light, and innocent that you wished to keep him all to yourself, by your side forever.

Anzu released a bitter laugh.

She wanted to protect him, but, somehow he was the one always saving her. When her parents told her that dancing was a waste of time, it was Yugi who told her to keep at it. When she had no lunch money because she was using that to pay for dance lessons, Yugi shared his with her. In every battle up to that point where he was taken away, he protected her. He even sacrificed his soul for the hope of the world, for everyone, for her.

And always, he did it with a smile.

She had only been there once for him, and at the time, she'd not known how to help. The night of his father's car crash, she had been over to his house. They'd been young, had just recently met. Yugi was crying in a corner, when she found him. For a long time all she could do was stare, but after a few moments she moved over and gave him a hug.

But she could do nothing else.

It seemed all she was good for was silent support. To be the black smiley face on the back of his hand, the voice that told him not to give up, the annoying reminder that friendship conquers all. Because in the end, that's all she could do. It wasn't much, but it was something.

Anzu gave a heavy sigh, reminded of how it had been when Doom had tried to take over the world. When Yami returned with news that Yugi's soul have been taken, it had been a heavy blow. She didn't know how to take it at first. Her best friend, the bonding glue that held the five of them together, was gone. She'd reverted back to what she'd known, and had tried to lighten the mood, to bring hope and faith to their little group, but it hadn't been enough.

_Yami… he feels this so much more deeply than any of us… but still…. We still…. _

Anzu's fist shook as she tried to hold back her tears. It had been so long already, what if Yugi's soul could not return to his body? What if the connection was shattered?

"No… stop thinking like that, Anzu!" She whispered to herself, smacking her cheeks with her hands to stop the tears that brimmed her eyes. "What would Yugi say if he saw you being so weak, huh? He's counting on you… to hold everyone together…. So… you have… have to be strong." Anzu closed her eyes and smiled, though her face felt strained and tight at the forced action.

The sun winked out behind the horizon, and a single tear escaped. It ran down her face, testament to her pain. Her insides ached and burned as if begging her break down and scream out her torment, but she could not do so.

"I wanted to protect him… but… I can't. I really can't, can I?" Anzu laughed bitterly to herself, rubbing the tear away with a hand. "No… I can't protect him. But, _he _can…" Anzu breathed a sigh of relief, picturing the spirit of the millennium puzzle in her mind. She could trust him to do what she could not, and so, she placed all her faith in him. After all, that was all she could do.

_I am his friend… that is enough for me. _

The phone rang out in the hall, a piercing sound that broke off as her mother answered. She could hear the soft murmur of her voice as she spoke to the person on the other end. A few seconds later, her mother was calling up the stairs for her.

"Anzu-chan, Yugi's on the phone!"

Anzu felt a cold lump in her chest, he mind drifting to a time not to long ago, when Yugi's little calls would be expected. When the only thing he'd need to ask her about would be homework or whether she wanted to join the group at the arcade.

"I—I'm coming!" Anzu choked out, running down the stairs to the landing where her mother stood with the phone. Her mother gave her an angered look for running in the house, but said nothing as she left.

Hopefully, Anzu lifted the phone to her ear, her heat thumping wildly in hopes that Yugi really would be on the other line. "Moshi, Moshi, Anzu desu."

"Anzu, sorry to bother you, but I wished to speak with you." The solemn tone of Yami echoed in the ear piece and caused her heart to grow heavy. She choked back a saddened sigh, not wanting Yami to know that she was suffering as well.

"It's all right. What do you need, Yami?" Anzu asked, her voice sounding much more cheerier than she felt. The silence was aggravating, but didn't last long.

"… Could you meet me at Burger World? I'd rather not talk over the phone." Yami asked with a meek tone, that Anzu detested.

"Sure. I'll see you in ten." She didn't even wait for his confirmation, Anzu just hung up, and quickly tore up the stairs to change from her school uniform. "I'm going out mom, I'll be back in a few hours."

"Anzu-chan, where—"

"Yugi needs some help."

"Oh, all right dear. Be safe." Anzu's mother called after her as she darted out of the house and into the darkened streets.

"Sure mom." Anzu said with another forced smile.

_I'm not the one who needs the blessing… it's Yugi who needs that. _Anzu refrained from speaking her thoughts, as she turned and made her way to the usual meeting place.

XXXXXXXX

_The darkness rose about like wisps of smoke. It swirled and encased Yugi's small form like chains. It was cold, and frightening as the silence turned to deafening screams. Yugi knew this place, knew the darkness that tried to swallow him, and the shadows that tugged at his soul. He'd been here before, had known the horror of such black magic as he'd sought to out smart the millennium eye, to keep Pegasus from winning the final match._

_ Yugi trembled inside with remembered fears, the feeling of being crushed under the weight of this abyss, the memory of dying. Yugi tried to hold back his whimper, knowing that if he gave into his fear now that he would not make it out alive, but something else was not right. The feeling of being watched surrounded Yugi, and made him tremble with unease. It was unnerving, and made his stomach twist with agony. _

_ What was it? What was different?_

_ A dark shadow moved and the feelings increased, as a low snarl took up the silence and killed the whimpering that followed the screams from before. Yugi sucked in a breath, horrified of what kind of shadow beast now stalked him. And he knew it was stalking him, he could feel its gaze upon him, knew that it hated him with everything it held with in, and understood what it wished to do to him._

_ Yugi swallowed back his cry, and reached out desperately for his only hope, and met with nothingness. Yugi jumped, finally knowing what was wrong, what was different, and out of place._

_ "Yami…" Yugi breathed out, and saw the beast grin at him menacingly. It approached him slowly, and Yugi found that the wisps had turned to chains that bound him still. An agonized scream forced its way past his lips as he started to struggle against his bindings. Struggled for his life._

_Yami wasn't there. _

_ That was the only thing ringing through his mind as the monster drew closer, its jaws open for the kill. Yami wasn't there to save him, he was going to die._

_ "Yami!"_

_The Jaws tore his throat open._

Yugi's eyes snapped open with the sound of his own cry, and his eyes darted frantically around the lighted room. His adrenaline rushed through him urging him to run, escape, fight. He wasn't aware that he was panting and near hyperventilating, until a sharp grip to his shoulder, and a cutting voice broke through his hysteria.

"Yugi! It's a dream!" The voice, he knew that voice. Yugi swung his gaze forward and whimpered with joy as his eyes met the concerned crimson of his other half. His vision blurred as tears burned his eyes, and Yugi let out a pitiful cry. _Yami! Yami, it's you Yami!_

"Yugi, are you—" Yugi cut the man off as he threw his arms around his darkness, pulling him down and upon himself.

"YAMI!" Yugi cried out, pressing his face into the crook of the other's neck, rubbing his face into the shoulder as the terror left him with a trembling force. "Yami! Yami…" Yugi kept repeating the name, not careing how this would look, not noticing how different his room seemed to be, and definitely not remembering where he was. _It was a nightmare, I'm safe. Yami's here, I didn't die… everything will be just fine… just fine._

Yugi clung more tightly to his dark half breathing heavily to try and calm himself. He breathed in the heavy sent of dust and spices, the smell of the sands, Yami's smell, and snuggled closer to the warmth and strength that he provided.

Yugi knew that he looked weak, but at the moment he didn't care. Because Yami was there. It was okay to break, to cry and need support. As long as his darkness was there he could do that. He didn't have to stand on his own all the time, it was okay to be scared.

Yugi gave a soft sound and wrapped his arms more securely around the form before him, and when he still wasn't close enough, he locked one leg around the others waist. His dark gave a startled gasp, and Yugi had the dignity to blush lightly at the position that they were in, but he was more concerned with getting comfort at the moment than he was about looking odd.

"Hold me Yami…" Yugi whimpered, and he felt the tremor that shook his dark's frame and the hot breath that rushed against his ear at his sudden exhalation. _Yami? What's with you? Why are you acting so strange? _Yugi was a bit unnerved when his dark didn't respond, but quickly shoved the thought aside when the solid, warm arms encircled his waist and held him close to the steadily beating heart.

Yugi's brow furrowed.

_Beating heart? Since when has Yami ever had a heart beat?_ Yugi's eyes shot open as reality sunk back in, and with it the memories of where and _when_, he was. Yugi gave a small squeak and froze, looking down at the dark colored skin that his pale arms clutched.

"Uhm…" Yugi swallowed hard, feeling rather foolish, and tried not to notice the difference in the speed of their two hearts. _Damn it! I'm so stupid! This is Yami… but, he was sick last night! Kuso, is he okay?_

Forgetting his embarrassment, Yugi wriggled back to press his forehead to the pharaoh's. Crimson eyes widened, and the heart beat increased, as his breath caught. "You okay? You don't still feel bad do you?"

The panicked look left the defined face, and Atemu smiled, his hold growing tighter for only a moment before relaxing once more.

"No, akhu, I am well. Thanks to you."

Yugi beamed at the news and hugged his dark half close, needing to feel his connection since the link still rang eerily silent. _It's just like before. Yami… my Yami…_

XXXXXXXX

Atemu returned Yugi's hug with a bit of unease. It wasn't that hugging Yugi was detestable, it was the fact that Atemu liked holding him just a little too much. It didn't help matters that he was now currently half crouched, half laying on top of the slender, delicate, body of the teen he found desirable, and that they were resting upon the harem bed. The place where certain acts where to be performed.

_Damn, I can't handle this… _Atemu thought vainly, as certain parts of his body reacted to the careless actions of his little light.

_Does he have any clue as to what this is doing to me? _

Yugi smiled and nuzzled his shoulder a bit, and Atemu suppressed a groan rolling his eyes.

_That would be a no. _

Atemu sighed, trying to forget the feeling of Yugi's leg wrapped up and over his hip, the arms that pressed the soft body to his own, and the warmth that came from the small dancer. Atemu scowled, he did not need to remember how well Yugi danced at this time.

"Yugi," Atemu said disentangling himself quickly from the temptation that was beneath him. Amethyst eyes pouted back at him, and a sharp bought of lust tore through Atemu's body. He froze, torn between leaving the boy and simply throwing him down and relieving himself.

_What in all of Ra's name am I thinking? _Atemu scolded himself and shook his head to clear it.

"Yami?" The sound of Yugi's voice made his skin heat, and Atemu shuddered, pulling away a bit more, before returning a strained smile.

"I am fine, akhu. But, it is morning, and we all have duties to attend to." Atemu said calmly, and watched as Yugi finally caught on.

"Ah!" Yugi swung in the direction of the window and gaped, jumping to his feet and rushing around in a bit of a craze. "Kuso! Ore wa wasurete!"

Atemu watched, amused, as Yugi ran around the room, stopping and retracing his movements when he discovered that he was still in his dancing garbs. Then complaining when he found that he could not find his work wrap.

A smile made it's way up Atemu's face as he watched the small teen become flustered and worried. Yugi was too simple sometimes, and as endearing as it was, it was also worrisome.

"Yami! Don't just sit there laughing! Help me!" Yugi complained, stomping one foot in irritation. Atemu chuckled at the display and stood.

_Just like a child… _

"Right, right." Atemu's smile grew at the annoyed glare that Yugi gave him, and reached down under the edge of several pillows that made up Yugi's bed, and pulled out the simple wrap and tie. "Here, akhu." Atemu offered the clothing with a smug smile, feeling some how vindicated for the other morning when Yugi had kicked him.

Amethyst eyes glowered at him as Yugi took the proffered garment and turned. "Why is it always him who finds it?" The question was muttered under his breath and wasn't meant for him to hear, but Atemu heard it nonetheless.

_What does that mean?_ Atemu shook the thought off just as quickly as it had come, needing some time to himself.

"akhu, you may wish to hurry, a meal is no good cold." Atemu reminded, and Yugi jumped rushing for the bathing room to change.

"Gomen!" Yugi called over his shoulder, and again the pharaoh was reminded that he would need to ask Yugi to teach him that language. "I'll be right back, Yami!"

When Atemu was certain that Yugi had gone, he slumped onto his bed's edge with a groan. "Dear Ra, akhu? Do you know what you are doing to me?" Atemu asked the room.

His body still thrummed with the heat of being so close to that small form, his mind remembering just what that body could do. Atemu gave another groan, his body still hard, and sighed.

The golden light of the day washed in through the window, already warm, wind gushed in to the room and encased the son of Ra. Atemu turned to watch the gossamer curtains with crimson eyes.

He'd woken to the sound of Yugi's pained whimpers. The sun had barely risen, and at first he was going to ignore it, but when Yugi began to pant in his sleep, and cry out, Atemu had moved.

He had been frightened to find Yugi drenched in sweat and thrashing about on his bed, tears escaping through his closed eyes. When he didn't wake to Atemu's words or prodding, Atemu had become worried and leaned in close hoping to ease Yugi's fears with his presence.

Then Yugi had just jumped awake.

_He looked terrified… as if… he was still trapped in that nightmare. _Atemu scowled and ran a hand through his bangs nervously. When he raised it back, he paused to trace his palm with his eyes. The crevices and grooves mapped out roads and stories in his skin.

"What did you dream of little Yugi? What did you see that frightened you so?" Atemu questioned the silent room, remembering the jarring hope that had crashed through Yugi's eyes at seeing him, and the force of his hug. It had all been so fierce, as though Yugi feared he would vanish, like the incense smoke the priests burnt.

…_And then he goes and places his face right before mine. Practically begging be to—_Atemu broke off that train of thought quickly, and stood, leaving the room with haste. He gave a stiff nod to his guard as he passed by wearing nothing but his night wrap.

It was odd, he knew, and very unlike him, but he had little time before Yugi would return, and he couldn't risk being alone with the boy in his current state.

Atemu scowled in distaste as he approached the doors that led to his harem. He really didn't wish to take advantage of this place, especially since he had no sisters to make his wife. He didn't even have a wife, and until recently, had no use for the concubines that he supposedly owned.

But what other choice did he have?

The image of Yugi laying tied to his bed came to mind. Atemu felt his face heat up and he walked into the room quickly, already feeling guilt eat at his heart as the women smiled and acknowledged him with praise.

"Our pr-aA, how may we be of service to you at this early hour?"

Atemu knew that they knew the answer to that, so he didn't bother to state it, and the girl from the last time stepped forward and then bowed low to the ground, offering to please him.

With a heavy sigh, Atemu nodded.

_I can't think like this… he is not an item to use. He is my akhu… and I am not like Pragus… No, I will not give in._

XXXXXXXX

Yugi hurriedly ran down the corridors, his heart thundering in his chest. He was unexplainably happy and excited, though he knew most wouldn't feel so great about having to retrieve breakfast for one's dark half, but he was.

Yugi grinned, skipping a little as he entered a patch of warm sunlight. In less than six hours it would be unbearably hot, Yugi knew, but for the time being, it was perfect. _Yami was so kind, to worry about me so much. I really need to thank him somehow… _Yugi smiled, and nodded to himself, thinking over ways to help his dark, when he saw another figure walking slowly down the hall toward him.

Yugi blinked, confused for a moment, before he recognized the mop of dark hair. "Ah, Anuksu!" Yugi called out, glad to see a friend, and ran up to her side, unconcerned with the slump of her shoulders and the hunch in her posture. "I forgot to thank you for—what's wrong?" Yugi asked, his happy bubble effectively popped, when he saw the hollow look in the dancer's eyes.

"Yugi?" She asked weakly, blinking several times, and the action made Yugi's insides cold. He nodded carefully, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder for support.

"I'm here, are you okay? You look kinda sick." Yugi asked again, and this time, the girl's eyes showed fear, and she turned away quickly.

"I'm fine. Just… having a bad morning." Anuksu's body was ridged, Yugi could feel the light tremor in the shoulder his hand was under, and see it in her fisted hands.

"Oh. I'm sorry. Do you… want to talk about—"

"No!"

Yugi jumped at her sudden exclamation, as she whipped around, and lowered his hand from it's rest on her shoulder. "Okay, sorry…" Yugi swallowed, and glanced away, unsure what to say to change the subject. From the corner of his eye he saw Anuksu deflate and look remorseful, and Yugi struggled to put on a happy demeanor before she could feel bad for her actions. "I'm on my way to get Yami some food, want to come with me?" Yugi offered with a grin, turning to face the broken girl, and watched the surprise that covered her face.

"Yugi…"

"If your day's been bad so far, let's see if we can't make it better huh?" Yugi chirped, grabbing her hand and dragging her down the hall in the direction of the kitchen. "Yami had a stress fever last night, I think Seto did it to him, you know how he can be… oh, well, I guess you wouldn't…" Yugi paused, blinking, wondering just what the CEO's name was back in ancient times, he gave up a moment later. "Anyway, I sang him to sleep last night… pretty silly huh? Gee, no wonder I'm always being called a kid, I act like one." Yugi sighed dramatically, giggling in the next second as he entered into a new story trying to distract Anuksu in anyway he could.

The kitchen was in view when Anuksu pulled back, forcing Yugi to stop. "Huh, Anuks—"Yugi was silenced by the touch of her fingertip to his lips. Yugi gasped, shocked, silent as Anuksu slipped closer to him and replaced her fingertip with her warm lips. _What the… is, is Anuksu… _

Yugi stiffened up, his breath caught in his chest, as the warm lips moved against his for a moment longer, before pulling back completely. Yugi blinked, his hand automatically lifting to touch his lips, and he heard the gentle laughter from above.

Yugi lifted wide eyes to Anuksu, glad to see her smiling, even though her eyes were glassy with tears. _Anuksu? Why are you crying… why did you kiss me? Oh, god… that was my first kiss!_

"Sorry about that, Yugi." Anuksu said, standing taller, looking a little more like herself. "I just needed to forget someone's kiss." She opened her clear blue eyes and winked at him, and Yugi felt his cheeks burn. "But, this changes nothing, I'm still going to work you hard in practice, so don't be late!" Anuksu said, whirling around and leaving quickly the way she'd been going before.

Yugi watched her back for several long moments, fingers still on his lips. "Well, I guess she's feeling better." Yugi laughed, and turned to get the meal he'd promised to get. His insides felt queasy, and Yugi tried not to dwell on the fact that there had been no thrill in that kiss. He'd felt absolutely nothing. _Why, what's wrong with me?_

XXXXXXX

"We thank you for your hospitality, and will return swiftly with the sighed document." Pragus said with a low bow, his men following suite behind him.

Atemu remained seated, his frown of annoyance barely hidden. He was only relieved that this would be the end of his problems with the man, and his band of annoying followers.

_It will also be the end to my worries for Yugi… _Atemu hoped.

When Pragus had risen, Atemu nodded, accepting Pragus's leave, and watched with much joy as the tall Roman left the room quickly. To his side, Saimun visibly relaxed, and Atemu released a happy sigh, realizing just how much of a relief the Roman's departure was to everyone involved.

Seth shot him a meaningful look from his position beside Saimun, and Atemu's relaxed posture stiffened. He did not need a reminder that he was not in the clear yet, and he definitely did not need the visions of his cousin to add to his infinite amount of worries.

_"The dark cloud of destruction hangs low around you. I don't think that child's appearance was coincidence. I fear he will bring about your demise." _

Seth's negative words rang through Atemu's head like a bad mantra and he sighed, sitting up straighter in his throne. If it wasn't the Roman's it was the small boy who could do no wrong as far as Atemu was concerned. A few accidents, defiantly, but any real damage? Well, Atemu hoped not.

"Please leave me. I wish to be alone right now." Atemu stated, and gave both Simune and Seth a pointed look before either could protest.

The room was quickly emptied of all, save for his guards posted across the room at the doors, and Mahado, whom he'd held back when he moved to leave.

"pr-aA, what is it?" Mahado asked, when the other's had left. Atemu narrowed his eyes on a single beam of light, uncertain. He didn't like that feeling, but even more than that, he didn't like feeling out of control.

_I have to be sure… now, before anything more can happen._

"Bring Yugi here. I need to make sure of something."

Mahado didn't question him, merely bowed and moved to do his bidding, and for it, Atemu felt oddly thankful. He made a face and shook his head willing the absurd feeling off.

_Yugi seems to be rubbing off on all of us… _Atemu thought with a soft smile, reminded of the way the pale boy's face lit up with he laughed, and how his amethyst eyes hardened when he was determined. A warmth spread in his chest, and Atemu abruptly stopped picturing Yugi's face, scowl back in place. _No… I can't think like this…_

The doors opened with a soft sound, and looking up, Atemu wasn't all that surprised to see Yugi's heart shaped face poke inside and look up at him curiously. "You wanted to see me?" Yugi questioned, glancing warily at the guard just beside his face. Atemu couldn't stop the slow smile that worked its way across his features, as Yugi tried to determine if the guard he was looking at was one who understood his standing with the Pharaoh, or not.

"It's fine Yugi, come on in."

Amethyst turned back to him, and then Yugi nodded stepping into the large, sun heated room, silently. Yugi seemed slightly uncomfortable, and Atemu wondered if it was because of the lack of people in the room, or his royal attire, but quickly shoved the thought off, knowing that Yugi feared neither.

"Pragus and his men have left to return to Rome." Atemu said, once Yugi was close enough that he no longer had to raise his voice to be heard.

"Oh." He said, sounding relieved, "That's good." The smile was proof of that as Yugi practically bounced to Atemu's side, picking up a forgotten fan and starting his ritual duties. "I was starting to think that Prego-man would hang around forever." Yugi chatted animatedly, and like most things he said, Atemu understood very little.

"So, where did you go this morning? I brought you your breakfast and the room was empty." Yugi's voice sounded slightly wounded, and Atemu shifted uncomfortably, remembering quite well where he'd been. "I ended up helping Mahado out until he had to come here for the meeting, and I decided it would be safer in your rooms."

"Yugi."

"Hmm?"

Atemu felt queasy, as he turned, resting one tanned hand upon Yugi's pale ones, stalling his motions. As he'd dreaded, he felt the thrill of sensation wash over his nerves, and he smiled rather sadly.

_So, it is a problem. At least it's not one that he has to worry about._

"Dance for me?" Atemu asked, giving Yugi's hand a squeeze, and watched as color flooded his cheeks, neck, and lower, ending at his navel. He was rather adorable at times, and the urge to wrap him up in his arms and protect him was nearly over powering.

"B—but, there's no music…"

Atemu smirked, and leaned closer until he could see nothing but Yugi's eyes. "You don't really need music, do you?"

Yugi glanced away, giving a huff, before dropping the fan and making his way before Atemu. He froze facing him, head bowed eyes closed, and stayed that way for several moments, but when he moved it was like it had been at the evening meals. His motions graceful, and smooth. Alluring in their innocence, causing the Pharaoh's heart rate to pick up just a little and he sighed wistfully, lounging into his seat, trying desperately to suppress the low burn that was quickly spreading in his abdomen.

XXXXXXXX

The room was hot, like a warm blanket, it was something Yugi was quickly becoming accustomed to, and he tried not to think about it too much. If he did, it only reminded him of what he'd lost, and how seriously he was trapped.

Yugi spun gracefully, twisting his torso as he rolled his hips, lowering to his knees to arc backwards. He couldn't help liking this kind of act, it was calming to move to a beat, even if it was only in his head, and it kept him limber in case Bakura or Marik showed an interest in killing him again.

A simple roll and bow, and Yugi completed the dance, feeling a light sweat on his skin, and his heart fluttering in his chest. Always he waited for applause, but was a little surprised when none came. _Yami always applauds. Even when I suck… _Yugi thought, lifting his head to look at Atemu, and was disheartened to find his brow furrowed in concentration.

"Yami?" Yugi asked, standing up, worried that something was wrong. What with Atemu's sudden request and his saddened expression. He made to move closer when those crimson eyes fell to his own and stopped him in his tracks.

"Yugi, now that the Roman's have left, I think it would be best if you moved back to the servants wing." Atemu stated in a voice that left no room for argument. Something inside Yugi broke, and hurt desperately, and Yugi lifted a hand to his chest, pressing his fist to his pounding heart.

_What did I do? Am I a burden Yami? Why are you asking me to leave? _Yugi's thoughts screamed at him in confused agony, but he remained silent, head bowed low. "Okay."

Yugi swallowed back his hurt and turned to leave, not even asking if he could do so, not really careing if it annoyed Yami. "I'll just… go move my stuff then." Yugi forced a grin, and bolted from the room before Atemu could question him. _Why? Why, does it hurt so much now? When I felt nothing… with Anuksu? _Yugi knew the answer to his question, but didn't want to face it. Didn't want to believe that the other half of his soul had just asked him to leave.

XXXXXXXX

"Sorry, about calling you out so late." Yami stated, his head lowered slightly. Anzu felt a flash of pain but forced a bright smile, sliding into the booth across from him.

"It's fine, so, what did you want to talk about?"

Curiously, the spirit of the puzzle seemed to blush at her question, and fiddle with his hands.

"I made it sound important, didn't I?" Yami asked, looking rather sheepish, and Anzu, leaned back into her chair, somewhat relieved to hear that this meeting wasn't as life altering as she'd been expecting.

"Yeah, maybe, a little."

"… hm. Well, honestly, I just needed to talk to someone, about Yugi. Someone, who wouldn't tell me endless lies about this problem." Yami paused meeting her eyes for the first time, and Anzu was pleased to see that the spark in Yami's eyes had yet to blink out, even if it was dimmed. "This sounds pathetic, but could you tell me, something, any memory you may have a Yugi? I just need to concentrate on something… something else."

Anzu smiled, understanding exactly how he felt. When you could do nothing but wait, it did one no good to sit around and think about all the bad things. One needs to concentrate on the good memories when everything else is falling away into hell.

"Sure. You know, when we were younger, Yugi used to copy me when I danced." Anzu grinned, and watched as recognition flickered through Yami's eyes. "Yep, it didn't matter if it was ballet or tap, girl or boy dances, Yugi did them all. It was rather funny, but very Yugi. To his, it was probably just another game, his mom didn't think it so funny though." Anzu grinned, and was glad when the spirit of the pharaoh returned her smile, if a little subdued. _Yugi, we're all waiting. We're trying to stay strong, so please, please, come back. We need you, more then you know._

(Ending Theme: "Night Flowers")

_I'm wandering lost in the land of love;_

_please come find me._

_I hide my heart_

_that I thought I'd already wore the wings off of._

_The thousands of petals_

_which color my heart_

_make me yearn for you, almost sadly_

_Once more_

_Mirage that slips through my fingers_

_the moment I grasp it..._

_I want to steal away all of you._

_Brandishing a frozen knife,_

_love dances, scattering the night flowers_

_Love, comfort, let go - even my heart..._

_Feel it more intensely_

_If it's destiny,_

_then I don't need peace or warmth._

_Brandishing a frozen knife,_

_love dances, scattering the night flowers_

_Break, injure, seal it away - even my heart..._

_Love me more intensely_


	12. Chapter 11

_**Chapter Eleven**_

It was dark in the small room, the insides only seen briefly through the shattering glare of lightening as the storm raged on outside. The instant brightness revealed the hardened features of the brunette brooding in the corner of his unmade bed, as well as the messy floor and desk, walls a mess of pictures and posters. His hair was askew from its usual style, and the dark rings under his dark black-brown eyes only aided in giving away his unsteady emotions.

"Why?" Honda asked the blackness of his bedroom, teeth gritted in aggravated anger, voice raw from earlier fits and screams against the blare of his loud music. "Why… is it always Yugi?"

Thunder rolled through the room as if adding to his heartfelt question, the ringing boom echoing in his ears as well as through the halls of his house. His fists clenched tighter, fingernails biting into skin with abandonment. Honda's thoughts wouldn't settle, wouldn't quiet and let him sleep, but kept him lost in his own condemned hell.

"He's so small… always has been… and he can't really fight unless in a game… so, why is it that he's always the one being hurt? He's done nothing … nothing to deserve it… nothing…"

A streak of light, a crash of sound, and his fist hit the pillow with a silent thump. "It's not fair!" Honda's voice shook miserably and he clenched his eyes tightly shut in order to block out the weakness he was showing to the darkness.

He had never been weak. He'd been wrong before, yes, but never weak, perhaps that was the reason he blamed the pharaoh for the situation his friend was in. It made him feel weak, worthless, incapable of being able to do anything for his friend.

_Since he arrived, we've been unable to protect Yugi from anything… its… its not right…_ Honda felt lightly betrayed. He'd known Yugi before Yami had come into his life—perhaps not before the puzzle came into his possession, but certainly before he'd finished said item—and Yugi had been, in his eyes, weak.

It had bothered him to no end, that Yugi would continue smiling even as he was picked on and ignored, and after standing between Jonouchi, him, and Ushio, when he willing let the larger bully bloody him up, Honda had been forced to admit that Yugi wasn't weak, he was kind. He wasn't quite ready to admit that though, and had refused to befriend the smaller boy, then Yugi helped him with his crush on Ribbon-chan.

_He helped me then… Yami made an appearance as well… but, he wasn't more than a shift in personality back then. Yugi was still our concern… _Honda thought miserably.

After that, he'd made it a silent vow to protect Yugi, a vow that solidified when Yugi was willing to be beaten again to save a friend from his past. Yugi wasn't going to abandon a friend, and he refused to think bad of them, and that was something Honda and Jonouchi had never known before. But even after befriending him, he knew just how small Yugi was, knew his strength of heart and mind, but knew also through experience how easily something could be broken. He couldn't handle that.

_He was so light, and tiny when I lifted him from Kaiba's death trap of building blocks. Like my uncaring and creepy nephew, but so much more important, I didn't mind so much if I was stuck, so long as I'd gotten him through, that I'd repaid my debt to him… that for once, I did something to help him… _

Yugi'd spent so much time helping him, helping all of them, that sometimes it was hard to find a way to pay him back, to remember that he needed help as well. And then it was gone, they had no way to protect or pay Yugi back, because just like that Yami was there, the nameless pharaoh, who stood up for Yugi and protected him in ways they never could.

It had been a bit annoying at first, but after Pegasus's Duelist Island, and Battle City and the Duel against Marik and Malik, he'd admitted and given his trust to Yami, placing Yugi in his care. Yami was there to give Yugi the strength to not be broken by others, at least, that was what Honda chose to believe.

Then Yami lost him to Doom.

"And now he's lost inside his memories… and we can't do anything…" Honda hit his pillow again, loathing the mixed feelings in his heart. He was angry, sad, hopeful, betrayed, and scared, with each week that passed, his hopes shriveled away, and he found himself glaring across the classroom at Yami, who was pretending to be Yugi. But Yugi was never so sad, never so quiet, never so cold.

Lightening lit the room, and glowed on silent tears that he'd show to no one else.

This sucked.

XXXXXXXX

The morning sounds of the waking market wafted into the room through the balcony, lifting the gossamer curtains, and bringing the warmed air and sunlight, casting the room in a golden glow of heat and life. A lone figure sat crouched in the center of an unmade bed, blankets curled low over hips and legs, knees raise holding up the arms and elbows that owned the hands that the face was buried in.

Golden bangs brushed the backs of caramel skinned knuckles, as fingertips sought cover in the dark black strands of hair—hair that shone red in the sunlight—and slowly, crimson eyes opened to the tickling sensation on his skin.

"Why..?" Atemu questioned the silence of his quarters with a tight voice and a grimace. His eyes narrowed, and his fingers dug into his scalp. Beside him, two millennium puzzles, one half covered with a cloth, glimmered in the morning bustle. Yugi's puzzle, still restless as always, pulsed anxiously while his, glittering in the sunlight, only sparkling up at him, a mirror of his kingdom's happiness. Atemu spared them only a glance, his lips pulled tight in a frown, watching the glimmer of restless power and the calm patience of the other. "Why can't I get him out of my head?"

Royal eyes slid closed in remembered pain, and Atemu groaned, pressing the heels of his hands into his eyes, as though the pressure could erase the last hour from his memory. But as always, it did nothing but add to the growing pressure in his mind.

Sooner or later he had to leave his bed and continue with his daily duties, he was already behind in schedule, and had Saimun not been denied access to his bedchamber for the time being, he'd have already heard the long list of problems that needed his attention directly, but when he'd woken from his dreams with a problem he was becoming increasingly familiar with, Atemu had once again called for his harem's help, and forbid anyone from entering. Last thing he needed was for someone to catch him falling to such depths because one boy refused to leave his mind.

_His removal from my side was supposed to stop these problems! _Atemu thought disdainfully, _Not make matters worse. _

Yugi had been retired back to the servant's wing, and only arrived to complete his duties, though Atemu had to admit they spent more time than necessary together between duties, talking as they had before. It was pleasant—except for the few times where Yugi wound up in his lap, or decided to practice the newest dance step that Anzu had taught him—and without incident. Though, when Ra was swallowed by the beetle, and darkness covered his land and the chill of night slipped in through the open outer doors, Atemu's mind wondered, and dreams came to him, tempting him, beckoning him to the evil intentions he held inside.

"Why did I see that? Why won't it leave me?" Atemu growled, thourally annoyed with himself. He'd pictured Yugi as he'd taken his frustrations out on his harem girl. It had been perfect, the tight heat, the pleasured moans, and he'd closed his eyes on the brink, and saw Yugi. Pale skin soaked in sweat, head thrown back, cheeks flushed with color, nipples taunt and dark with blood, his nimble legs wrapped around Atemu's hips…

He'd never come so hard.

The guilt that had overcome him in that instance had been so intense that he felt close to vomiting, and had ordered the girl out quickly, his voice choked with his own weakness. He'd stayed there, deeply disgusted with himself, and still needing, unable to move as Ra was reborn and the whole of Kehmet came alive outside his palace, and still he sat, trapped in his own deceiving mind. "Can I truly want him so badly, that I can think of nothing else?"

A nock on his chamber doors brought him from his tormenting thoughts, and Atemu looked toward the heavy doors idly, half wishing not to answer to the soft request.

"pr-aA?" Mahado's voice called through and Atemu felt himself relax a margin, and he was reminded how useful duty could be when used to forget things.

"I will be out shortly Mahado." Atemu stated, and was slightly astounded when his voice sounded normal and controlled. _Do I act so often that it's become natural? _Atemu worried for several moments before brushing the thought aside. He was Pharaoh, of course some of his actions would be a façade, he was not a god but a man, but his people needed to believe that he was above mortality, and so he had to give them such an image.

"Yes, pr-aA." Mahado responded from behind the door as Atemu stood from his bed. With out the cover of his blankets, the air brushed against his naked body coldly, Atemu tried to focus only on the pleasant way the wind felt upon his skin, and not the reason why he was disrobed.

The floor was cool to the bottoms of his feet as he made his way across the room to the bathing room. His eyes strayed to the bunch of pillows on the floor, remembering fondly, the way Yugi had looked curled up under the blankets there, safe and perfect…

On a bed meant for acts of lust and physical pleasures.

_Damn it! _Atemu cursed in his mind, muttering a few others under his breath as he tore his gaze from the make shift bed, and entered the bathing area. It was void of life save for the solitary guard who stood on the other side of the door.

The sound of the lapping water was soothing to his overly distraught nerves, and with a deep breath Atemu ascended into the water, glad that at least with this early bath, Yugi would not be required to attend to his bathing duties later in the evening. Atemu had a feeling those were the real reason behind his nightly problems.

"Wash up… and forget." Atemu relaxed against the side of the basin, head resting on the ledge, eyes closing slowly. "Forget…"

XXXXXXXX

"Where can he be, honestly? How can the pharaoh just vanish?" Yugi asked no one in particular as he stalked up and down the palace halls, looking absently about.

The day was hot like all the others, and he was glad that it was still early morning yet, and there was a light breeze that rushed in off the Nile. It billowed up under Yugi's wrap and brushed over his bare torso in a comforting way that made the heat seem bearable, but Yugi had long learned that the small comforts were non existent come high noon. _With all my luck I'll be looking for him all day! Where are you Yami? _Yugi paused in the middle of a long hall, his face collapsing slightly as he lowered his gaze to his feet. The tips of his toes had turned a dark red. He wasn't sure if it was from the sandstone scuffing his skin or the heat that radiated from said stone. _… are you avoiding me? _

Yugi had wondered that several times over the past month since Pragus's leave, when Atemu had promptly sent him back to stay in the servant's wing. Yugi'd held back his tears, and tried not to think of how warm his bed back in Atemu's room had been as he'd laid, shivering in the cold night, under one thin blanket alone. He just hadn't understood what he'd done to get thrown back into the mass of other servants. He'd even started to fear that Atemu had no other use for him, until Jonoh had come in to drag him to his duties, griping about stupid children and sleeping in.

Atemu had acted no different. He was kind still, and enjoyed Yugi's company, as much as he had before, and that had forced Yugi to rationalize. _No, Yami had moved me to his quarters to keep me safe from Prego-man, now that he's gone it's only right that I return to the other place… he's not avoiding me! _

Yugi forced himself to stand taller and nodded his head. "Right, I got to find Yami and give him the message." Yugi said, fisting his right hand, "No time to be worrying over something so simple! Nope, no time at all." Yugi forced a bright smile to his face, willing away the lingering doubt, and redoubled his efforts.

The halls all seemed to be empty this time of day, and it was a little odd, like walking through a tomb. Yugi giggled at himself, imagining that he was back home, just out with Sugoroku on a dig, looking through the ruins casually. Yugi was a little concerned that the thought and imaging was hazy like an old memory, and it brought little to no pain with it, but he brushed the thought aside quickly. He had not wanted to be upset when he found Atemu so, his not getting depressed over thoughts of home was a good thing.

Right?

"Argh! I'm never going to find him…" Yugi grumbled, "I had better luck in that maze he calls a soul room."

Pausing by Atemu's bed chamber door, and, deciding that it couldn't hurt to look, approached the guard who opened the door swiftly and without question. That was a plus that came with the title of Pharaoh's personal servant, no one question him on where he was going. _Though, it should be the other way around, shouldn't it? My being closest to the Pharaoh I could kill him if I was so inclined… _

The room was disheveled, the bed looking as though Atemu had just woken up, and Yugi smirked to himself. _Ah-hah, so I'm not the only one who sleeps in once in a while… _

A soft splash alerted Yugi to the occupancy of the bathing room, and in two quick steps Yugi found himself standing directly behind the object of his search.

"There you are, I've been looking all over for you!" Yugi snapped, missing the way Atemu's relaxed shoulders tensed and how his eyes flew wide open to look at him fearfully from the basin. "Jonoh sent me when he couldn't find you himself. As though I'd have any more luck, you're like a shadow! I was afraid I would have to look inside the puzzle for you." Yugi continued to berate the bathing ruler as he casually picked up the wash-cloth and moved to the basin's side.

This was a duty he'd become used to over time and so he took up his place behind Atemu with ease, his feet dipping into the water on either side of the pharaoh's sides. The water felt nice on his sore feet and Yugi hummed his short approval before dunking his cloth and beginning the usual routine of scrubbing Atemu's back.

"Anyway, Jonoh needed you to know that Pragus arrived back in Rome and brought the treaty before his king, and that the Cesar himself is coming down with the treaty to sign in person here. God only knows why he'd bother, it's such a long trip with out a plane… then there's the possibility of assassination attempts… just too much hassle." Yugi moved his slowly circling hand from Atemu's back up to the side of his neck and shoulder. "I wonder if Kaiba ever has that problem. Probably not the traveling issue… him having his own private jet and all." Yugi continued to mutter to himself, and accidentally dropped the wet cloth into the bath, his hand colliding and sliding over bare skin for a moment. "Ah! Oops—" Yugi spluttered, bending to retrieve the cloth, "Sorry, Yami—"

He looked up and locked eyes with intense crimson.

XXXXXXXX

Atemu's control snapped like a single stalk of wheat. One moment he'd been sitting stiffly in his bath, focusing on Yugi's words and not the fact that he was sitting naked with the one he'd been fantasizing about for the past month just behind him—his legs touching his sides and his breath stinging his ear—and the next Yugi's hand had touched his neck and smoothed down over his shoulder. The contact was swift and delicate, it made him shiver in desire, and the soft sound of shock that issued from Yugi's mouth had scalded him instantly, ripping common sense from his already fired nerves.

_Yugi. _Atemu thought, turning around and meeting the eyes of the small boy, the next instant he'd dragged said boy into the water.

Yugi gave a cry, and came up spluttering and shaking water from his eyes and ears. "Y—Yami! What's the matter with you?" Yugi looked angry, and the pout on his wet features was alluring, and Atemu was having trouble remembering exactly why he was to stay away.

_Akhu… what you do to me… I want to give back to you. _

"Well? Yami are you even listening to me? Ya—"

"Shh." Atemu whispered, when his sudden proximity made Yugi stop mid-sentence, his face flushing cutely and his eyes seeming abnormally large. He smiled and reached out tracing the soft cheek with his fingertips. "… soft."

Yugi jerked back violently and blinked, "Wh—wh—what are you… Yami? I—you… what—" Yugi continued to move backwards, and Atemu continued his slow pursuit, until Yugi's hit the edge of the basin, his back pressed against the stone, Atemu blocking his only way out; trapped. "Yami, come on, this isn't funny anymore you jerk." Yugi spoke shakily, and Atemu's face turned serious as he closed the distance between them.

Yugi watched him with wary eyes. Looking down on him, Atemu reached out again, his fingers running over Yugi's face. The pale one shivered under his contact, and with a moan Atemu leaned in, his lips capturing the quivering ones in a soft kiss.

The hitch of breath, the taste of lips, the smell of the sea, it wrapped around Atemu's sensations like a cocoon, further blanketing him from the reality he knew was waiting for him to resurface, but at the moment all he could think of was the way Yugi had looked in his mind when he'd come, and the way he felt as his arms slid around Yugi's frame, pulling the small boy flush against him in a heated embrace.

Atemu tilted his head, lips parting and drawing Yugi's lower lip between his own in a deeper kiss, the tip of his tongue tracing it gently. Yugi shivered in his arms, and the hands that had risen to his chest—most likely in resistance—tensed and bit into his skin.

The small assent made Atemu groan and he pressed a little harder, his kiss shifting to a more demanding contact, his tongue growing restless and slipping between Yugi's softer lips, finding sanctuary in the warm of Yugi's mouth. Yugi gasped into the kiss, his back arching just the slightest with the breath and Atemu pressed back, his leg slipping between Yugi's, pinning him securely to the wall.

He could feel the quickened breaths that passed from Yugi's nose and pulled back a fraction to look down on Yugi. Amethyst was lidded in a hazy desire, face colored lightly, perfectly, and lips rosy and slightly kiss swollen. A bolt of need burned down his spine, and Atemu licked his lips, his heart feeling heavy a moment longer, knowing that he was breaking a rule that aught not be broken, and swooped back in for another kiss before Yugi had time to come back from his momentary lapse. _I don't want to face him… not yet… _

His kisses grew more feverish as his hands traveled up and down the length of Yugi's sides, ghosting around the front to toy with the edge of his wrap. Yugi jumped and made a sound of distress, and Atemu pressed more harshly against him, willing the sound away. He nipped at Yugi's lip and traced his belly button carefully with a finger as his other hand slipped up Yugi's thigh, traveling up and over the cloth undergarments Yugi wore to the edge, then slipped in with ease.

"Ah!" Yugi gasped, twisting his head away, panting, eyes still glassy, face still flushed, and Atemu quickly continued his kisses down the side of Yugi's neck, tasting the skin for the first time and finding it as perfect as he'd imagined. "S—stop…"

The soft whisper was accompanied by a small grunt as Atemu touched Yugi's gentiles, finding him half hard. Atemu smiled against the skin, his lips kissing him slowly, clinging to the wet skin, now that he knew that in some way Yugi was indeed enjoying himself as well. _This is fine then… right? Yes, he wants it… _

Atemu based his reasoning on the gripping fingers that had managed to curl around his shoulder, the way Yugi moved his hips in time with his brushing fingertips, and the way he moaned beneath him. Atemu swallowed, his heart racing. _This is madness… I shouldn't… I…_

Atemu moved from Yugi's neck to nip at his earlobe and Yugi arched, whimpering. "…Y—Yami…."

"Shhh, Yugi, I will not hurt you." Atemu whispered huskily, his eyes watching Yugi lustfully, as his hand curled to hold Yugi—

"pr-aA!" The cry was followed by the crashing of a door and then silence as Mahado burst into the room, and finally, reality caught up with Atemu's mind.

_By Ra, what have I…_ Guilt and anger at being interrupted raced sharply through his body, and Atemu sat somewhere between.

One look at Yugi, and Atemu knew that Yugi was also aware of their actions now, and his stomach bottomed out. Guilt won over his mind as it always did when confronted with Yugi, and the bitter taste of bile replaced the salty taste of Yugi's skin.

_Why, am I so weak against him…?_

XXXXXXXX

Yugi jerked at the loud sound that broke through the blanket of heat and sensation that had covered him, and like ice water he became aware of just what he'd been doing. _Wha… what am I… Oh god! I was—with, Yami! I'm going to throw up…_ Yugi felt his stomach twist when Atemu turned to look at him almost worriedly, and it was then that Yugi realized that the pharaoh's hand was still around his quickly fading erection.

Yugi wasn't sure if he turned red or white at that moment, but somehow managed to twist away and clamor out of the water quickly. He slipped once on the ground in his panic, but regained his balance quickly and continued to run for the exit.

"Yugi!" Atemu's cry drove icy fear through Yugi's heart and made him run faster, he collided with the person in the doorway, but didn't care to apologize as he tore passed and down the hall.

His heart was thundering in his ears as he ran aimlessly through the halls, his breathing labored as tears stung his eyes and escaped to run down his face. Yugi didn't bother to wipe them away, too intent on escaping to bother pausing to clear his vision.

_What have I done? What have I done? I… I'm not gay! I'm NOT GAY! _Yugi sobbed out loud as he burst into the palace garden, throwing himself down among the taller growing plants and curling up into a ball, hiding his eyes away in his knees.

He tried to stay quiet as he poured out his heart, fearful that Atemu might have followed him, and would find him if he was too loud, the other half knowing that Atemu would not chase after him.

He wasn't sure which hurt worse.

_"I'm not gay, I'm not gay, I'm not gay…" _Yugi repeated rocking back and forth slowly trying to comfort himself. But no matter how many times he thought it, he couldn't deny the fact that he'd liked what had happened, and that Atemu's kiss had definitely made him feel something.

"… I…I'm sick… Yami, save me. Please, wake me up…"

As always, no one came.

(Ending Theme: Night Flowers)

_ai no kuni wo samayou_

_watashi wo mitsuke dashite_

_tsubasa ni wa mada_

_surikireta hazu no kokoro kakushite_

_watashi no mune wo someta_

_ikusen no hanabira wa_

_kanashii kurai anata wo koishiku saseru_

_mou ichido_

_sugaritsuku shunkan_

_surinukeru maboroshi_

_anata no subete wo ubai saritai_

_itetsuita NAIFU kazashi_

_ai wa mau yoru no hana wo chirashite_

_aishite, iyasarete, tokihanatsu - kokoro sae..._

_motto hageshiku kanjite_

_sadame nara_

_yasuragi mo, nukumori mo iranai_

_itetsuita NAIFU kazashi_

_ai wa mau yoru no hana wo chirashite_

_kowashite, kizutsukete, tojikomete - kokoro sae..._

_motto hageshiku aishite_


	13. Chapter 12

_**Chapter Twelve **_

The classroom was silent as the test wore on. The teacher's heeled shoes the only echoing sound aside from the soft scratch of pencil-lead on paper. It should have been comforting; the dull usualness of the moment. The sounds of everyday life in the twenty-first century, the warm autumn sunshine that poured in through the window, the face clock slowly counting down the hours of the that Saturday afternoon building the tension that sang through the students' every nerve as their weekend approached, was supposed to be a balm to the wounds of all, but it wasn't.

It was stifling.

_How long has it been now? Two months? Six?_ Jonouchi had long lost count of exactly how much time had passed since Yugi's sudden disappearance. Not because things had been busy, but because there was nothing to be done. Nothing to focus on, no hope to cling to, just nothing.

It was easier to keep track of time when one had something to mark each day with. A battle, a goal, a destination, but the group of friends and the mighty King of Games were bereft with no such things. They were helpless to do anything except wait. _Damn it, what's wrong with letting them be happy? Haven't they suffered enough?_ Jonouchi's eyes strayed to the slouched figure gazing out the window. Once brilliant, calculating eyes, now dull and listless. Watching the empty shell of his friend, he wasn't sure which hurt more, the uselessness he felt or the complete destruction that had befallen the man he'd once seen as invincible. _I know he's just a man… but, he was a Pharaoh! He took all of that evil that doom had into himself, all of that hate and sorrow that belonged to the planet! Hell, he could use black magic. It's not right… him being broken like this…_

Jonouchi sighed and turned away from the man currently pretending to be his best friend. He'd seen this once before; the depression and guilt, but he only heard about the other effects Yami's depression had on him.

It had only started up a few weeks ago, and only became apparent in the last seven days, but it seemed that Yami's pain was filtered and changed to anger in an attempt to help him deal with his loss, and that rage now needed an outlet.

The smallest offense made Yami snap now, and Jonouchi, Anzu, and Honda could only hold their breath and pray that the verbal—and sometimes physical—blow-ups would not escalate into more cases of Shadow Games. Anzu took comfort in the thought that there were no more bullies that were deserving of such rash actions. Honda was not convinced.

_What the hell happened to us? _Jonouchi wondered sadly.

Anzu was watching Yami with remorseful eyes from her seat. She'd been the only one to greet him with a good morning this day. Honda had glared and proceeded to work diligently on his schoolwork. Even now he was attacking his math test with more violence than Yami had fought with this morning, and Seto…

The CEO had returned from Egypt in a foul mood and had thrown himself into his work with a single-mindedness that—more than tears and mood swings—showed his stress and unease with his rival's disappearance. Yami was just no fun with out Yugi.

Jonouchi took note of the way Seto favored his right side, not surprised it still bothered him. Yami hadn't exactly held back. _I know what he was trying to do, hell, if I had thought it would have helped I'd have done it myself, but…_

Seto had purposefully riled Yami up that morning. Cornering the once Pharaoh on the roof and proceeded to tear into him, using every tactic he knew. Jonouchi had arrived at the climax of the argument, but was certain that insults to Yami's moppiness, character, and dueling abilities had been made before that fatal insult, the one Yami would take from no one, friend or foe, was made.

_The door to the roof eased open letting the deceivingly cold wind and bright sunshine blind the blond teenager momentarily. Squinting his eyes, Jonouchi stepped out onto the roof, looking for the friend that was supposedly up there. _

_ "You know, it's better that he's not here anymore." The cold conviction rang out and Jonouchi froze, knowing exactly what the voice was saying and who it was implied to. _

_ "What?" Yami's voice was a low growl that he saved for enemies and Bakura, but there was an edge to it that Jonouchi had never heard before, not even during Darts' asinine game. It worried him, and reminding him of Anzu's words and retelling of Yami's battle with Haga on the train._

_ "You heard me perfectly well, _Pharaoh,_" the way Kaiba said the title implied mockery, and now that Jonouchi could see the quarreling duelists, he was able to see the way Yami tensed at the inflection. "and you know I am right." _

_ Yami's lip curled back in a snarl, an odd string of sounds escaping him, and caused Jonouchi's arm hairs to stand on end. "Hri hm-ntr." _

_ "Uh…guys?" Jonouchi said, unsure if it was safe to interrupt his friends or not, but, in any case he couldn't just sit there._

_ "mn!" Yami snapped, his hand lifting in a halting gesture as Jonouchi moved towards them, and he complied with the command instantly, more out of shock then understanding. _Holy… he's… talking in another language… _Jonouchi's jaw unhinged recalling how Yugi had once told him that when was first freed from the puzzle, he'd spoken to Yugi, but in a language he could not understand, but after some time, 'mou hitori no Yugi' started to speak in Japanese. _Damn, Kaiba must have really pissed him off for him to slip while in Yugi's body… I mean, if Yugi's story is true… and everyone of those thugs had mistaken Yami for Yugi…_ Jonouchi's disjointed thoughts were stalled as before he could move to try and be the damage control, Kaiba had spoken again._

_ "Yugi's just a host and an annoyance! He's not needed here and is better off dead!" _

_ It was a low blow, and Jonouchi bristled in anger, ready to attack the brunette himself, but was beaten to it by the enraged Yami._

_ "Tw lw m-t! iri nn mdw m sw ntt w3t!" It was a growled cry that did little to warn as Yami suddenly threw himself forward, tackling Kaiba to the ground. The once Pharaoh was much quicker than either had expected, and they froze momentarily as Yami sat upon Kaiba slugging him ruthlessly._

_ "Iti st hsl, Tw mArxprr!" _

_ Kaiba seemed to regain himself as he rolled, taking his own swipe at Yami catching him across the face, now just as pissed off as the red-eyed demon pinned beneath him. "Just shut up, you lazy son of a bi—"Seto chocked on his words as Yami placed a well aimed kick to his chest, punching him solidly in the side directly afterward. Kaiba slumped to the side, winded as the irate Yami leapt to his feet, his entire form quaking._

_ "Tw stp n mdw H na Sm m-bAH wi, s3Ra, isfty?" Yami's voice had become a low croon, his words ancient and as airy as smoke, and it choked Jonouchi's heart. The ruthless kick to Kaiba's stomach forced Jonouchi into movement when it became clear that Yami was not going to stop. He'd completely snapped, and was lost in his own engulfing rage._

_ "Damn it, Yami, stop it!" Jonouchi cried out, grabbing a hold of Yami's shoulder and—_

_ He was on his back looking up at the sky his left cheek throbbing._

_ "What the…" Sitting up stiffly, he caught the glare Yami was giving him from over his shoulder._

_ "iri nn iri pf m wHm-a." _

_ For a brief instant, everything was still, then Jonouchi got mad._

_ It was a momentary struggle after Jonouchi slugged the back of Yami's head, before effectively pinning him to the ground. A quick glare to the CEO and request that he leave quickly, left the two alone. Yami twisting and screaming in that weird language, that gave the blond the chills, and Jonouchi trying hard not to hit him again._

_ "fh wi!" It was somewhat obvious what he was demanding, and it only further angered the blond, that his friend would not listen to reason, that the man who knew nothing but control had snapped so completely, so uncharacteristically. _

_ "Not 'till you calm down!"_

_ Yami growled, struggling harder. "s3 nt sAb."_

_ Jonouchi had the feeling he'd just been insulted. "Damn it! Do you think this will help Yugi? You think he'd be proud of what your doing right now, Yami? So just cool down!" Jonouchi snapped, unable to keep himself from lifting Yami by his arms—the ones he'd crossed painfully behind Yami's back—and smacking him against the ground again in irritation. _

_ Yami was still and quiet for a long time, and when he spoke it was so quiet Jonouchi almost missed it. "…shut up… don't say it…" It was a whisper of sound, broken and tired. Jonouchi scowled keeping quiet as Yami shattered again, his shaking shoulders and near silent gasps the only indication of his pain. Yet, it haunted him more than his screams of "Aibou" had done on the cliff side all that time ago._

Jonouchi's pencil made a soft tapping noise as he bounced the end with the eraser against the top of his desk in contemplation. _All Kaiba wanted was to force the life back into Yami's eyes and actions, but in the attempt, he only succeeded in breaking him further._ Jonouchi shook his head looking to his own blank test. The numbers and equations looked as foreign as Yami's words had been that morning, and he simply didn't have the will to try at the moment.

Looked like Anzu and Yami didn't either.

_What's going to happen to us?_ Jonouchi wondered sadly. _We used to be so strong… an unbeatable team. Now…_

Honda was a ghost. An angry ghost who hardly spoke to anyone and when he did it was cold and clipped. Anzu was like a doll made of glass ready to break at any moment, and he…

_I just want my buddy back…_ Jonouchi put his pencil down and closed his eyes, hiding his face in his hands, wishing the day could simply match his dreary mood so he wouldn't feel so dark and alone. _That's all I want…_

And he knew it was the one thing he wouldn't get.

XXXX

The parade of guards through the receiving hall was flashy and quite bothersome as it was high noon, making it inconveniently hot and muggy. The over-crowded room not helping the heat in the least.

Atemu tried not to show his aggravation as irritation gnawed on the edges of his mind. It was a most annoying time for the Roman's to reappear in his land, this time baring goodwill and a signed treaty. He was glad for the security the document now gave his kingdom, but he did not wish to entertain the others at this time.

_Especially now… _Atemu glanced from the corner of his eye at the cessation of air flow. He caught glazed, and thoughtful amethyst, and as it had been the passed two weeks, Yugi jumped awake, blushed and looked away, continuing his duty of keeping Atemu cool.

Atemu's eyes narrowed and his mood darkened as he brought his attention back around to the speaking dignitary, not at all pleased to see Pragus standing proudly beside his young ruler.

It seemed that in a tragic event taking place sometime between Pragus' departure and return, the old Cesar had died and his eldest son had taken power. _It's foolish of him to leave his kingdom so soon after his rise to power. Rome must be unstable at this point. It needs stability of power and time to rebuild its safe-guards. _Atemu's thoughts were critical, reminiscing about his own coronation. It had been a few years and still he would not risk leaving Kehmet for a day. He'd even stopped his daily rides, too intent on settling the affairs of his kingdom.

Atemu also took note of the gleam of power in the new ruler's eyes—dull hazel sparkling with madness—and knew the old ruler's sudden departure from this life was probably no accident nor usual act of Osiris.

But that was no concern of his. The young Cesar had signed the papyrus and agreed to the terms that would keep Kehmet safe and at peace with Rome. Kehmet was safe from this power hungry child for the time being, that was all that concerned him now.

The current of air stopped once more.

…_My second problem…_

Atemu had felt ashamed after Yugi's escape nearly two weeks before, but for the life of him, couldn't understand why. Mahado had said nothing to him about what he'd walked in on. He'd simply delivered the message that Seth was not willing to wait any longer for his arrival. Though Mahado had said nothing, Seth seemed to have plenty to say. _That had not been pleasant._ Atemu recalled as the introductions were made and the treaty re-read over with a relish, making it sound set in stone. He tuned out the discussion when it seemed that nothing had been changed and returned to his inward thoughts.

_"So, it is as I feared. That boy has become a distraction to you." The head priest said, his voice tight with worry._

_ "He is not a distraction." Atemu immediately defended, only to realize that he was. He chose not to comment, Seth knew the truth anyway. One look at his face proved that fact and Atemu let out a breath slowly; silently. _

_ "You lost your control, I'd say he's a distraction, Atemu." Seth pointed, sitting down in the chair, relaxing in a way that he showed not the world. Atemu relaxed slightly in the shaded inner room that belonged to his cousin._

_ The walls were filled with scrolls and papyrus, filled with ancient texts and rituals, it was amazing that Seth hadn't gone insane from all the hours he'd spent pouring over them. Then again, it was those ancient riddles that had him convinced that Yugi was evil._

_ "I'm going to regret coming to you." It wasn't a question._

_ "I only tell you the truth, you used to rely on such. Now, you complain."_

_ "Seth, he is—" Atemu wasn't sure if he felt comfortable telling him about the future that Yugi had for told. It was a dark outlook for him and Kehmet, for Seth as well, seeing as the role of Pharaoh would then fall to him, and his so called, non-existent relationship with Jonoh would be a problem when he was pressed to wed and bare heirs. Though, Yugi's explanation about being his light half would put Seth's accusations to rest, it would most likely not be believed. "… he appeals to me. Greatly."_

_ Seth gave him a bored look. "You know I do not like him, and have nothing to say that will help you."_

_ "Yes, Seth, I know that well."_

_ "…good. So, this discussion is over." Seth relaxed even more into his chair and breathed out in relief. "But if I may say…"_

_ Atemu paused at the statement, turning to look at his high priest. Seth had a faraway look on his face, his expression looking a bit lost._

_ "It is not like you to shy away from a problem. You are pr-Aa, a god among man. You fear nothing, and give up nothing that you desire. Even if the mortal priests forbid it."_

_ Atemu gaped at Seth for several moments after the man had moved away to continue his work, a silent dismissal. Seth had just told him to do what he wanted, take what he desired and to hell with everything else. It made sense, in a way, but at the same time it was reckless. In the end, Atemu left the room as confused as when he'd entered, only now, he was wondering just when it was that he'd forgotten who he was._

It had occurred to him then as Yugi avoided him—yet snuck peeks at him when he thought Atemu didn't notice—that the feelings of guilt unnerved him because he was unused to feeling such things. He was a Pharaoh, and his needs and desires only came second to Kehmet's needs. Whatever he wanted he had gotten, until Yugi arrived, and suddenly what he wanted didn't matter, and he had to keep his desires to himself—not that he'd ever had those kinds of desires before. Sex had always seemed unimportant, especially in the face of Kehmet's needs, at his sudden coronation and overtaking of a kingdom.

It aggravated him for reasons he could not explain, should not have to explain. He knew he respected Yugi, felt even that they were in some ways equals, a part of a whole, but he knew that the truth was, that perhaps in Yugi's time they were the same, but here, he was a god among men, and Yugi was but a palace slave.

One that was currently forgetting his duties to stare at him. Although Atemu was flattered and glad that Yugi's actions proved that he was not as terrified as he'd acted, it was not a smart move to make out in the open .

Another look from him and Yugi was fanning and blushing in a moment.

"Pragus tells me that your dancers are among the best. As is to be expected of Kehmet." The new Cesar—his name was Fastosus, at least that What Atemu remembered the Youths name to be—flattered. It was the usual speech and Atemu had grown quite bored with such comments, even as he showed no hint of his feelings outwardly. There was no reason to comment of such a statement and so, Atemu remained silent. _I'm sure he told you so. Told you about Yugi no doubt…_

Atemu's lower eyelid twitched in aggravation, understanding the underlying request and knowing that he could do little but acquiesce to it. The treaty still too new to take any chances. _That means Yugi's going to have to move back in with me. _He couldn't help but feel particularly happy with that idea, even as the part that reacted oddly to Yugi—the guilt and shame—couldn't dampen his feelings on the matter. He had had enough with these cumbersome emotions, and conflicting desires. He'd been disgusted with the Roman's chose of bed mates because of the age difference, but Yugi was quite old enough for the things that happened in the bed, and if the looks Yugi kept giving him were anything to go by, then he wasn't averse to the idea. So, there was nothing wrong with Atemu going after what he wanted.

Seduction wasn't rape after all.

"Kehmet is honored by your visit, Cesar. Coming all the way out here in such rough times as these just to formally conclude our treaty." Atemu let the notion of responsibility hang in the air for several moments, not surprised when the boy—for the new Cesar could be no older than thirteen years—just smiled oblivious to the duties he was currently ignoring. "How long will your visit be?"

Fastosus blinked, and turned to look at Pragus, his light colored hair falling into his eyes, and Atemu suddenly feared that perhaps Pragus was the young one's lover, but the way Pragus looked at him denounced that notion quickly.

"Rome should be fine for a while in your absence." Pragus said evenly, almost practiced, Atemu didn't like it. Then again, he didn't like anything the man did or stood for. _So, they'll be here a while, hopefully not too long. Bakura's been overly active these past few weeks, his sudden silence now worries me. Where did he go? _

Atemu nodded to a few guards, meeting Saimun's worried gaze and nodding once letting them take care of the crowd. "Then let us find you some rooms."

The small Cesar seemed pleased with this and readily jumped to his feet, eager to see what it was like to be here in Egypt. _Probably heard stories of grandeur and fancy._ Atemu thought slightly annoyed as he motioned his men to show the Roman's out.

"The footmen can stay in the rooms they had last, give Pragus his old room and give Cesar the room next to his, that should satisfy their needs and keep them from my hair." Atemu stated under his breath to Saimun. Yugi snickered to his right, and Atemu felt the corner of his mouth tug up as well. It seemed he wasn't the only one who didn't appreciate the Roman's intrusion.

"As you say, so shall it be done." Saimun bowed and left his side, Mahado remained by his side along with Seth, who looked about as happy as Atemu felt about the arrangement. The again, his cousin always seemed displeased by something these days. If it wasn't the Romans it'd be Yugi.

Atemu waited a while, enjoying the cool breeze now that there was less people in the room. He'd have to arrange for Cesar and Pragus to meet him in his seating room to explain where they were allowed to roam while he was busy, and to play host for a while longer, so as not to appear rude.

_Should also alert the dancers… prepare Yugi to go on… switch Yugi's sleeping arrangements, I still need to check the grain storage and take care of the bandits caught yesterday afternoon—_

The current stopped again.

Looking over Yugi's blushing face, the red color sinking all the way to his navel, Atemu suddenly had an idea and smirked. _Perhaps I should treat my guests to some grapes._

XXXX

Yugi was currently wondering how his life could get so bad as he found himself walking behind a young servant girl, whose name he could not remember—but she was the daughter of the head cook—carrying a bowl filled with grapes.

_Kuso, how do I manage it? I just get things under control and then the next thing I know its all messed up again. And now Prego-man is back, with King Arthur and its either stay close to Yami or… _Yugi felt his head start to hurt again and he let out a grumpy groan. He'd been a confused mess for the passed two weeks, scared of Atemu and yet curious as to why he felt the way he had. If Anuksu hadn't kept him busy with dance during the hours he wasn't tending to Atemu—and only god knew how he'd managed to get out of his bathing duty to the pervy Pharaoh—he'd have broken down long ago. As it was, his thoughts only had time to eat at him while he slept, or attempted to anyway, or when he became bored trying to keep as far away from Atemu as possible and still take care of his duties.

That was a trying task.

_Why'd this all have to happen? Why couldn't we have just stayed friends and then I could have gone home and wouldn't have had to explain myself to Anuksu only to have her laugh at me! _Yugi grunted again, and scuffed his sandled foot into the floor.

After his flee from the bathing room, he'd been found by the dancing girl as she made her way through the garden—god only knew what she was doing in there in the first place—and when she saw his tears streaked face, she had bundled him up and whisked him back to her home.

It had been as he'd remembered, and it helped to calm him a bit, even as it reminded him of how long he'd been away from home. His depressed state had not gone unnoticed, and Anuksu had handed him some water, then forced him to help her with the laundry. While working on the mundane, she managed to ease the problem from him. Somehow, he'd expected more of a reaction from her, but, then again, she wasn't exactly Anzu.

_"… The pr-aA, kissed you?" Anuksu sounded a little stunned. Her hands had stilled in the sudsy bucket, fingers stilled curled in the damp cloth._

_ "Yeah. It the bathing room." Yugi swallowed back the tremble in his voice. He'd been dependant too long. Since when had he been so weak as to need Yami by his side all the time? _Never… I'm my own person. I am Yugioh, I earned that title as surly as Yami did. I can care for myself._ The pep-talk was nice, though it only helped a little. Afterall, he was his own person, and that meant he'd enjoyed Atemu's kiss all on his own. "…He… dragged me in and… well, kissed me." _

_Yugi's blush must have said volumes, for Anuksu made an understanding face and continued with the laundry. "So, he _kissed _you, and then what happened." The way she said kiss implied that she knew that they had done a lot more than that, and Yugi flushed uncomfortably, hanging the clothes up to dry to focus on something else._

_ "Mahado walked in and… I ran away."_

_ The bucket was knocked over with a loud clatter, and water sloshed out to be absorbed by the sun-dried land. "You ran away?" _

_ The fact that she seemed more startled by the thought that he'd run away than the part where her god was making out with a mortal human boy startled Yugi and he turned to face her confused._

_ "Well, yeah, he had his hand down my pants, what was I supposed to do?" Yugi snapped, when she started acting like he was the most stupid being on the planet. Hey, it was his body the man was attempting to molest! And why wasn't she being all concerned and motherly about this?_

_ "You really are a Xrd!" Anuksu shook her head, ignoring his pout. "The pr-aA makes a move on you, and you run away. Yugi, the pr-aA's affections are a gift! He's a god! He can, and will give you anything you want! Why run from that?"_

_ Yugi blinked. "Maybe because I'm not gay."_

_ Anuksu made a face at the term she obviously did not understand, and then crossed her arms, eyes lowering in a look that clearly stated that she didn't believe him. "Yeah, sure your not. Mr. I-live-_far-away_. Just keep telling yourself that, you know you liked it."_

_ Yugi balked. He couldn't believe she'd just said that, and how the hell would she know anyway. For several long moments, Yugi sat opening and closing his mouth until she threw a wet sheet at him._

_ "Oh, stop giving me that look! If you really hated it, you would be crying, not blushing and squirming around like a love-sick Jackle." Anuksu responded with a warm smile to take the bite from her words._

She's trying to cheer me up… she's making me fight back. _Yugi realized suddenly, and broke into a grin as he hung up the wet cloth._

_ "Yeah, whatever. I bet you're the one who really wants in his pants." Yugi poked, back. Maybe, things weren't so damaged after all. He just needed to think and be true to himself._

_ "Of course. I don't know what you're problem is, the man's drop-dead sexy."_

_ Yugi almost died at the term she'd somehow managed to pick up from him._

_ "What did you—"_

_ "Fess up, I see the way you dance for the pr-aA."_

_ "Anuksu!"_

The memory was a warm comfort, and had been his strength for when he'd had to face the Pharaoh again, but he had yet to figure out his own feelings, and now the Roman's had returned bringing more troubles. _…And Atemu decides that I need to stay in his room again._ Yugi shuddered, but why he wasn't so sure. _The dick acts like nothing happened between us, and then says that I am to stay with him again? Yeah, right, so he can molest and forget again? I don't think so!_

_"The pr-aA's as confused as you are. Give him time." _

Mahado's words ended his momentary anger, and Yugi deflated. He knew best of all what the white priest was talking about, and really had no place to judge. _He's still Yami… a perverse, stuck-up, annoying Yami, but Yami none-the-less. _

The doors swung open to show the lounging room in the gardens where he'd first told Atemu about his new hobby. Yugi felt his face heat up unexpectedly, and he nearly froze in place. The nudge from the girl behind him prompted him into motion again.

Atemu was reclined in his seat facing the small boy-ruler, Pragus stood guard beside his king, just as Jonoh stood by Atemu. The conversation seemed to be on silly things of unimportance, if the look on Atemu's face was anything to go by.

"Ah, grapes. I was unaware that you had suck fruits out here!" The boy said ignorantly, and Yugi felt the need to roll his eyes. Was it possible for someone to be so stupid? Egypt had trade routs, and special items for the pharaoh weren't all that uncommon.

Atemu gave a curt smile, but refrained from speaking. He gave a nod and the daughter of the cook moved in to sit beside the Roman ruler. Picking up a plump berry, she offered it to the ruler, hand feeding him.

Yugi paled, realizing that that left him to serve Atemu._ God damn it! He planned this! The little bastard planned this I just know it!_ Yugi glared when he saw the smirk on Atemu's tanned face, and wondered how much trouble he'd get in for throwing the silver platter at the pharaoh's big, arrogant head.

"Slave, I am waiting." Atemu said, enjoying his role way too much. _If the roman's weren't here you'd have a reason for needing that guard… _Yugi stomped over and flopped onto the edge of the seat, determined not to let Atemu bother him, and shoved the plate in his direction.

Crimson eyes glittered, as Atemu relaxed further and opened his mouth. Yugi desperately wished to hit him. _What had gotten into him? First he's moody, then he attacks me, acts like nothing happened, and now, he's … he's… _Yugi scowled. _Being an ass._

Picking a violet colored fruit from the bunch Yugi looked at the open orifice and wondered just how hard he'd have to throw it to choke the bastard.

Something had changed between them. Somehow, Atemu seemed more assured, controlled, and Yugi was no longer playing meek. Something within the past two weeks had shifted, and the two were caught in the middle.

Atemu nudged Yugi with his foot, and opened his mouth a little wider. With a sigh Yugi leaned forward—no, his heart had not just skipped, and he was not blushing from close proximity with the man—to drop the grape in Atemu's mouth, when the lips snapped shut. Hot, moisture encased his fingertips as that skillful tongue stole the grape from him, giving his skin a quick kiss as it passed.

Yugi gasped, pulling his hand back, and stared, shocked at Atemu, who only gave him a sensual look.

Yes, something had definitely changed.

Throughout the entire time spent in the garden with the grapes, Yugi had been teased and molested through his fingertips. The grape would near those lips, and his finger would be caught. Sometimes, Yugi was quick enough to escape, and so started the weird, sexually tense game between them.

Yugi would dart in to deposit a grape, and Atemu would ensnare his fingertips. Where upon capture, he would suckle, lick, or kiss. Yugi was certain he'd felt the scrape of teeth on his skin once or twice, but wasn't sure. In fact the only thing he was certain of, was that both of them were disappointed when the grapes where all gone.

Yugi had stood shakily, his nerves still firing from the intimate encounter, and the feel of those lips on his again, and was going to leave when, he was escorted to Atemu's chambers by Jonoh. Which was where he now stood, uncertain and confused, in the middle of the pharaoh's bedchamber. _What does all of this mean? I… I did l—lik—_Yugi made a face, annoyed with his mental stuttering. _I liked it! So what? I'm a teenage boy with normal hormones, who enjoyed having his fingers sucked on by his best friend and guardian._ Red flushed his face, and Yugi internally collapsed into himself again. _That just sounds… so wrong…_

The sun was coming in at an angle, evening was approaching. Yugi was supposed to dance tonight, for the first time in a long while. He wondered if Atemu was planning to keep him from doing so. _No, not with that little display in the garden. He was practically seducing me in public! _Yugi tried not to think of how well that had been working, both then and when he'd been in Atemu's bath.

_So, maybe I'm not as straight as I thought I was. Does that make me bi? Or does it even matter? Wait, I'm not a necrophiliac right? I mean, right now Atemu's alive and all… but this isn't my era. And Yami's technically a ghost so…. What does this make me?_

Yugi ran himself in circles, unaware of the entrance made behind him, as the golden light engulfed the room, turning everything into a burnt brightness. He was so caught up with his sexuality that he didn't even sense another presence, until strong, tanned arms had wrapped themselves around his waist in a possessive hold.

Yugi let out a squeak, and jumped, looking at the palms that pressed flat to his bared belly. Gold rings adorned long fingers, arm bands hiding the skin on the fore arms. "Y—Yami…" Yugi cursed himself for stuttering and tried to pull free from the embrace but was held captive. Hot lips descended upon his throat in a tender kiss. Yugi could feel the insides of said lips and shivered at the slick departure.

The arms tensed feeling the small movement and the fingers began a soft kneading motion as the moved lower. Yugi gasped, rising to the balls of his feet as his groin tightened, and in lower stomach started to ache. "S…stop…" Yugi breathed, his insides a knotted mess as uncertainty made him frightened.

Sure he'd enjoyed the game, and sure his body liked the attention it was given, but his heart and mind still could not make heads or tales of what he wanted or felt.

The fingers continued to massage his belly, but no longer moved downward. A blast of hot breath burned his neck as the lips kissed the outer rim of his ear, capturing the very edge and suckling lightly. "You know, telling me what to do is a crime." Atemu's words sent both lust and terror straight through Yugi's body and he barely stopped his whimper from escaping.

_What… what is he going to do? And… will I be able to stop him? Will I want to stop him?_ Yugi desperately tried to find the answers as Atemu nuzzled his ear, and then—

Pulled away.

_Huh…_

"But… you, Yugi, I will stop."

Turning around, Yugi saw the pained, but sincere expression on his dark's face, and could find nothing to say. Atemu smiled, and retreated to his bed, sitting down upon it with a sigh, relaxing into its comfort.

"Why?" Yugi managed to choke out. Uncertain if he meant why Atemu would stop, or why Atemu wanted him in the first place. For the gods knew Yugi had no clue as to why.

"Because I choose to."

It was so arrogantly Atemu, that Yugi wanted to laugh, but he didn't have the strength to at that moment.

"No, I mean, why… why do you want…" Yugi shrugged gesturing to himself and watched Atemu's reaction. For several long moments Atemu just stared at him, those passionate eyes calculating as if looking for the answer himself. Somehow, the uncertainty that Atemu showed eased some of Yugi's own fear.

At least he wasn't the only one confused by his body's reactions.

"I'm not certain." Atemu finally answered, and Yugi sagged briefly, as the pharaoh stood and walked toward him. "I just crave you." Atemu stated, his fingers tracing Yugi's cheek. Just looking in his eyes showed Yugi what the other said was true. The need, and desire in those red eyes was intoxicating, and Yugi looked away with a blush, unsure of how to take that. "And I don't want anyone else to have you."

The possessive ring to those words, accompanied by the grip that hand suddenly made to the side of his face made Yugi tremble, and he bit his lip.

"I… I don't…" Yugi tried, but his voice petered out into nothing and he found he had no answer or response for Atemu. He wasn't sure what was right, what was needed, or what he wanted, it made confessing rather difficult.

_Just stay true to yourself, remember? That's what you decided to do, so, go with it._ With a deep breath, Yugi closed his eyes and pulled Atemu against him in a hug. Deeper than friendship, lighter than desire, just a warm, loving, confused hug that summed up everything he had inside.

As before when he'd used Japanese to prove himself, Atemu seemed to understand and returned to hesitant hold with his own of strained passion, but it wasn't uncomfortable. It was satisfied. Nothing else needed to be explained for now. Atemu craved Yugi, and cared for him, as Yugi craved and cared for Atemu. The rest could wait.

Atemu sighed, sounding pleased with the contact and Yugi smiled back. For a long while they simply held each other, until at last the sun flickered out and darkness set it. The guest and food were waiting.

Before they'd made it out the door, Atemu caught, Yugi's hand stalling him, and forcing him to look up at him. A chaste kiss to his lips, and Atemu whispered, "Come to the throne room after the evening meal. I wish for you to dance for me… only me."

Yugi blushed.

Then nodded.

XXXX

The dinner was a blur of colors and sound to him as he waited for the meal to end. His stomach knotted up so tightly he doubted any of the butterflies that had once been there had survived. What he was expecting, Yugi didn't know. He wasn't even sure he wanted to. All he knew was that Anuksu had been more than right about him and his feelings, and he couldn't wait to dance for the Pharaoh.

… _I wonder, what this means. It's not like, I hate him. It's Yami after all, and, when he kissed me… _A blush stained his cheeks as he waited in the cold throne room. It was empty, save for the guards who faced away from him, and the flickering torchlight which crackled and cast deep shadows that danced in the wind. _…Man, why can't this just be easy? _Yugi complained, playing with his silver shoed foot restlessly. _Do I like Yami? Like that I mean? Like the way I should like Anzu… do like Anzu? Great now my head hurts…_

His thoughts ran in circles again, memories buzzing about in a hazy blur. Anzu had been his first friend, she'd always been there, and he just thought that he would marry her. That was just the way things would go, but then, Yami came, and the battles with Pegasus, and Marik, and the truth about Yami's memories, and then the final battle that was supposed to take place, but never did. _Then, I wound up here, in a poor rendition of Alice in Wonderland. Or would this be more like The Wonderful Wizard of Oz? _Yugi grinned at the image of Pragus in a black dress and pointed hat cackling with his flying monkeys dancing around him. _Heh, yeah, that's it, and my silver shoes are just like those stupid red ones. _

On the spur of the moment, Yugi stood and clacked his heels together. "There's no place like home, there's no place like home."

"Do I want to know what it is that you are doing?"

Yugi opened his eyes, almost saddened to find that his humorous interlude had ended and his 'magic' dancing shoes had not whisked him away to his room where Yami would be waiting with that ever patient smile, and kind eyes.

_"Where have you been, Aibou?"_

Yugi swallowed back the lump in his throat, eyes burning uncomfortably with the prick of tears. Scrubbing at his face he looked up in time to see Atemu take his seat on the throne. He leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees, chin in hands, and gazed at Yugi. "You back, little one?"

For a second it was easy to forget that he was in ancient Egypt, and that Atemu wasn't Yami, and that everything was just fine, and Yugi found it in himself to smile and nod.

"Yeah," Yugi gave a deep bow, playing his roll flawlessly. "Would the pr-aA care for some amusement?" Yugi felt his face burn again, and dared not look up.

"Proceed." Atemu's voice rang out and surrounded Yugi, and his blush grew worse. _Why is it I blush at every little thing? Maybe I'm chemically imbalanced or something._ Yugi tried to convince himself, as he sought out a beat. Anuksu had pointed out that it was not the skill of the dancer that made the dance beautiful, but the storyteller inside that dancer. It had seemed silly to Yugi, to tell a story without words, but after watching her perform he began to understand. And the only way to dance with out music is to tell a story with the movements, create the music by the actions. _But what can I use?_

The wind came in from outside, and stirred the flame causing it to jump in the darkness, and flare out in retaliation. The wind only aided the flame by giving it oxygen so it could burn, but too much wind would suffocate the brilliant light, and too little would kill it. Thinking on that, Yugi moved, his movements the fluid wind. Coaxing, calming, and aiding. The silent strength not seen, and rarely noticed. He rolled his hips as his arms arched out, showing the help the wind sought to give and the hurt caused by the flames recoil. Yugi spun, to his knees quickly, portraying the increase in the 'tempo' of his dance, before rolling his upper torso and arms, leaning back to show the descent of loneliness and shame for both the wind and the flame.

The stillness of the waiting wind, the ignorance of the flame, as the battle raged on, and the evil, vile card was played, the card of souls. _Oracle Curse card…_

Without realizing it, Yugi had begun his own tale, the tale of Yami and himself, in the one battle where they had faced two separate sides, only to fall without the other. He showed the anger, stress and fear, in sharp turns flips, and body rolls, and then the sudden, abrupt end—hands held locked at the wrists above his head—slow sways showed the despaired acceptance, as the Duel Monsters champion failed, and lost his soul.

In a moment, a soft turn and gentle hip rolls, Yugi described the sacrifice made. The choice to die instead of live, for he knew Yami would save him, Yami would win. He knew it, he believed in it, in him, because he…

Yugi stopped, eyes opening in shock, cheeks tinged a dark red from his exertions. _I… I love him. That was why I did it. _The blush faded from his face, and he was left feeling oddly content. _I shoved him out of the way because, I couldn't stand to see him die. I couldn't lose him. If I lost him, I would never have gotten him back. So I chose…_

Yugi looked up and caught the curious eyes of the Pharaoh. Crimson blinked slowly and took on a worried edge. The fire Yugi admired so much about his dark, blazing brightly before him.

_… to die._

It suddenly all made sense.

XXXX

The dance was more than he'd expected from Yugi. The evening dance at the dinner had been as enticing as always, with Yugi being the center-piece once more, and as before, Atemu's blood had heated at the sight of Yugi's erotic dance. The clothes the motions, the kohl outlining his eyes, it all added to the moment, and Atemu sat back and enjoyed it fully, finally at peace with his feelings. He wanted Yugi.

Yugi knew.

Yugi was still confused.

Atemu would wait.

Instead of feeling enraged when Pragus made his usual comments and such, Atemu felt a bit of smug pride. Pragus could insinuate and dream about it for however long he wanted, but Yugi was _his_, not the Roman's.

So, when the dance had ended, and Yugi left, Atemu felt rather comfortable waiting out the rest of his meal. When he'd arrived to the throne room, dismissing his guards as he did, he'd found Yugi tapping his heels together quite comically.

He'd let the topic drop when Yugi blushed, and had seated himself to enjoy his private performance, but he'd not expected what he got. At first Yugi's motions seemed stiff, strained, but precise. Showing a conflict, but one that was both rewarding and harming. But as the dance continued, it smoothed and became fluid, passionate with life. The battle hard and fast, the emotions chaotic and sad, and then the end came, swift and sudden. It was a tragedy, ending without hope. Then the soft conflict arose again, this time in rescue, and the sadness deepened, and then…

Yugi simply stopped.

He was moving, telling a story so perfectly that Atemu had felt the pain in his own heart at the loss of something he did not even know of. It was a story of Yugi. _No, this is… our story. _The thought came swiftly, and stunned Atemu at its implications. All he could do was stare back at Yugi seemed to come to a conclusion even he had not been aware of.

Time seemed to stand still, the air humming with the tension between them. A standstill of emotions, as the moon rose to paint the sand ivory. Yugi looked at him, eyes steady, with sudden understanding and acceptance, and Atemu stared back with reciprocated feelings.

And the moment was gone.

Yugi smirked, a challenge in his eyes, which intrigued Atemu coaxing his own smirk to the front as Yugi's hips began to sway again, this time, his movements taking on the sensual tone of the evenings dance.

_You want to play, little one? Then let us play._ Atemu grinned accepting Yugi's challenge as the boy lifted his hands into the air performing tight grinding circles with his hips, half-lidded eyes playfully glancing at him from beneath his eyelashes.

Lounging in his chair watched the dance as it progressed in urgency and need, showing the driving urge of completion. Sweat glistened on Yugi's pale face, cheeks flushed brightly, and little belly rolling with the controlled rolls and thrusts of his hips.

Yugi was calling him out, with his moves, beckoning him to come out and dance with him. Atemu smirked, sinking lower into his chair. _The pr-aA obeys not mortal… _With a single curled finger, he called Yugi to him. Urging his little dancer closer, to please his god. _Come, slave… _Atemu thought darkly, as Yugi again rolled himself to his knees bending backwards before flipping to all fours. In a move Atemu had never seen but greatly appreciated, Yugi began to crawl toward him.

The burn in his belly grew hotter as Yugi advanced closer, his back end swaying from side to side. Up the steps he crawled, sliding up and between Atemu's spread knees, and then he rested his hands on his golden thighs his head following suit.

His breath burned his skin, as Yugi attempted to regain his breath, and Atemu could feel the rise and fall of Yugi's chest against his legs, his heart pounding the rhythm of his dance into his own body. "Have I… please my pr-aA?" Yugi asked, voice no louder than a whisper, and Atemu shivered in desire at the huskiness of Yugi's usually soft voice. He nodded in reply, lifting his hand to trail it down Yugi's cheek and neck.

"pey-i bnr nny bek." Atemu purred, watching as Yugi's eyes flashed in retaliation to his comment. But before the role playing could be brought to a close, Atemu shifted, placing his lips searchingly on Yugi's.

It was slow, eyes open watching the other. Lips pulled apart then connected again, this time parted slightly, tongues brushing gently. Atemu pulled back slowly, pleased when Yugi moved to follow.

"Come up here, akhu." Atemu whispered against Yugi's lips. Yugi's eyes opened slowly from where they'd slid closed. Atemu smirked and leaned back into his throne, showing that he wish for Yugi to sit in his lap.

Yugi moved slowly, almost uncertainly, but he didn't balk. Once Yugi was seated in his lap, one pale leg on either side of Atemu's own—his wrap bunched up by his hips showing his boxer shorts and the pleasant bulge beneath. Yugi was slightly red once more, and Atemu smirked, his hands skimming up Yugi's thighs to rest on those tiny hips. _This is what I wanted… what I've craved since the first time he threw himself into my lap like this. _

"Ate—" Atemu's finger stalled the rest of Yugi's words, and with a stern look, Yugi amended by kissing his fingertip. "pr-aA."

Atemu nodded, moving his hand back down to hold Yugi's hips, fingers flexing. He liked the feel of Yugi straddling his legs.

"What do you wish of me, pr-aA?"

Atemu smirked.

"Dance for me…" Atemu watched the shock that penetrated Yugi's eyes, and leaned closer, mingling their breath. "… right, here."

XXXX

The dank smell of rot clung to the musky room, hidden beneath the sand at the base of the old temple of upper Kehmet. It had not been disturbed for years, since the creation of the millennium items. No one had dared to disrupt the balance. To challenge the living god, the pharaoh.

No one, save him.

Bakura's grin was feral as he forced his way into the tomb of the forgotten.

The resting place of Exodia.

(Ending Theme: Night Flowers)

_I'm wandering lost in the land of love;_

_please come find me._

_I hide my heart_

_that I thought I'd already wore the wings off of._

_The thousands of petals_

_which color my heart_

_make me yearn for you, almost sadly_

_Once more_

_Mirage that slips through my fingers_

_the moment I grasp it..._

_I want to steal away all of you._

_Brandishing a frozen knife,_

_love dances, scattering the night flowers_

_Love, comfort, let go - even my heart..._

_Feel it more intensely_

_If it's destiny,_

_then I don't need peace or warmth._

_Brandishing a frozen knife,_

_love dances, scattering the night flowers_

_Break, injure, seal it away - even my heart..._

_Love me more intensely_

Translations:

"Hri hm-ntr." –"Be quiet, Priest."

Mn – To remain

Tw lw m-t! iri nn mdw m sw ntt w3t! – You are (a) dead man! Do not speak of

him that way!

Iti st hsl, Tw mArxprr! – Take it back, you wretched beatle!

Tw stp n mdw H na Sm m-bAH wi, s3R(a)—microsoft word doesn't have the right symbols for it—isfty? – You dare speak with hate in the presence of me, the

son of Ra, evil one?

iri nn iri pf m wHm-a – Do not do that again.

fh wi! – Release me!

s3 nt sAb. – Son of a jackal.

Pey-i bnr nhy bek—My precious little servant.


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

He couldn't sleep, not that that was anything new since Yugi's disappearance, but the reasons had changed quite a bit over the months. _Aibou…I don't know what to believe anymore. I can't trust hope, and the dreams seem crueler than the reality I know to be true…_ Yami sat in the corner of the bed, eyes staring out into the gloom that the comforter provided.

Sunlight tried to filter through the sheets but to no avail, succeeding in creating a mere haze around him. Sugoroku had asked him to stay home when he'd seen the dark rings under tired eyes, but his concern was wasted. Though is current depression made him want to do nothing but sleep, Yami's dreams and memories kept him in the waking world.

_I see things, and I know they can't be true. They are just what I want to be the truth; my mind attempting to ease the pain. I know this because I can still see your fear Aibou. Your fear from that dream… no what see in my dreams is just fantasy… they can't be real memories… no matter how desperately I wish they were._ Yami's breath caught on the intake, hitching painfully, and finally Yami let his tears soak his face. There was no one there to see him anyway, there was no need to continue with his perfected mask of bravery—what was left of it anyway. His tussle with Kaiba had all but killed that image.

His muffled sobs burned his eyes and nose, and stung his throat and chest in his attempts to stay quiet. _I dream that you accept my advances Aibou, how silly is that I wonder? I mean, I know clearer than anyone that that is an impossible dream. _His arms tightened around his raised knees until his short fingernails bit into his skin painfully His jaw cramped as he grit his teeth to reign in the scream that begged to escape. It wouldn't do him any good to worry the elderly man, with all his luck, it would cause his heart to give and then things would be even worse than they were at that moment. But the rage and anger just continued to boil through his dressed waters. If he didn't find an outlet soon, he'd end up attacking the CEO again, if only because he knew the other would give him the fight he was just itching for.

_…his agony… just never ends…it just grows, swallowing up what little sanity I have left, Aibou. I attacked Kaiba, though in my defense he was being an ass and I refuse to say he did not deserve it… but, it wasn't my place to act. _Yami closed his eyes as the tears slowed to a stop for the time being. They hurt, but not as much as his heart did. It helped a little to 'talk' to Yugi, even though he knew his little light was far from him. It helped him create the illusion that he was not alone. _Jonouchi's a real good friend Aibou. I don't think I ever gave him the credit he deserved. He stopped me before I seriously injured Kaiba._ Yami scrubbed his face against the sleeve of Yugi's cotton pajamas.

"I… I am a fool… Aibou." Yami whispered, almost afraid to speak any louder, fearful that it would shatter the fragile world he was in. "Everyone's so broken… and it's my fault. I don't think we can take much more of this…"

The silence was punctuated with the sound of the day outside as it leaked in through the double pained glass. The noise from the bustling streets and waking birds grated on his nerves, annoying him that the world continued on without his light. He knew it was silly to believe that it wouldn't, but it was just too hard to believe that the world was fine even when it had misplaced one small boy.

Yami's world had been built on rules and reality. He lived in control and with deep patience, and never realized just how much his world and life relied on his other half. It was almost pathetic how badly they all needed one little life. One glimmer of existence.

_Perhaps this is a lesson from the gods. We relied on you too much… or maybe we never realized jus how precious you were._ Yami thought distantly.

_ "Heba?" Yugi asked, making a face at his dark. It was cute how he'd been interested in a language that was no longer in use, and being his teacher, how was he o deny him?_

_ "That is your name Aibou. Heba." Yami clarified, and Yugi nodded, committing the word to memory. Yugi was certainly a fast learner, why he couldn't make the grades in school was a mystery to everyone who knew him._

_ "So… what would your name be?" Yugi asked, meaning the nickname the group had taken to calling him. _

_ "kkwy." Yami answered with a smile, and Yugi beamed delightedly. Yami was suddenly grateful that he at least remembered his language. His past, real name, and everything else may have been taken, but this at least was his. It appeared that Yugi was also pleased by this fact._

_ "Heba ii kkwy." Yugi chuckled, greatly amused by something. Yami lifted an eyebrow in question as Yugi continued to laugh to himself. "Our names make up 'the Shadow Games.' Isn't that funny?" Yugi continued to laugh, but something about that statement made Yami uneasy and cold. He forced a wide smile for his light all the same, when those adoring amethyst eyes turned to him._

_ "So we do."_

The door to the room opened noisily and made Yami jump. The blanket dislodged from his head, and fell into a heap in his lap then. Yami ignored the intruder a moment though as the glaring sunlight blinded him.

"s3 nt sAb…"

"Now that's not very nice Yami. I hope you haven't taught my grandson such profanities."

"Sugoroku Jii-chan," Yami said, slightly embarrassed at having been caught swearing by the old man. "… I, uh, well…" What was he supposed to say? _I've become too accustomed to not being understood…_ For a brief moment his grief lifted just enough for him to feel foolish, and he bowed his head looking at the bed sheets that lay rumpled in his lap.

Sugoroku had forced him to change them, saying that it was bad enough that he'd let Yami keep them the same for as long as he had. Yami wondered if Sugoroku really understood what was happening. He was rather old.

"You feeling better then?" Sugoroku asked with a laugh, and it was then that Yami realized just what it was that the old man had brought up with him. It was a tray of food; looked like soup and juice to him. "Because, if you feel up to it, I could use your help in the shop."

The statement was made as casually as the one about the bed sheets had been, and it only enforced the bitter feelings that life would continue to pass and move on even without Yugi. It pissed Yami off, and he was uncertain of how to react to that cheery disposition as the elderly Mouto set the meal on the edge of the desk in the room, with in easy reach.

"Well, eat up." He made it sound as though he was merely sick and not in a major crisis. "Sleep you can live without. Your body will force it on you when it needs it. Food you have to ingest yourself." Another happy smile.

Slowly, mechanically, Yami began to eat, watching as Sugoroku moved about the room cleaning up the mess left behind. "Boys, they never want to clean up at this age. Always moving about and giving us grief." The smile never dimmed from his weathered face, and left the once Pharaoh bereft. "Then they come home all smiles and excitement, unaware of the troubles they've caused. But that's fine. At this age they shouldn't have to worry."

"Mouto-san?" Yami questioned, a little concerned by the other's monologue. Was the stress really catching up to him? Was he truly falling off the deep end. "Perhaps you should sit down." Yami moved to stand, offering the bed.

The laugh was deep and full of mirth as Sugoroku turned to face him, sitting down on the edge of the bed and clapping him on the shoulder. "I am fine Yami. Quite all right, I am merely trying to make a point." He folded his hands in his lap and looked down at the small uniform in his hands. He'd picked it up in his cleaning and only now realized what he held.

He was worried, Yami knew, but unlike the rest of the group he was unbroken, and it baffled Yami. How could he stay so, so calm? His grandson was fucking gone! Not missing, or kidnapped but gone! As in never returning, not even in the right time, the gods don't even know where he is. Yet, Sugoroku just calmly waited, worried but painfully optimistic. _Then again… I was the one who gave him that false hope wasn't I?_ Yami thought, his blurry thoughts attempting to recall that soul wrenching discussion he'd had with Sugoroku not too long after Kaiba's—less than useless—trip to Egypt.

_ "… he will return… after that… won't he?" Sugoroku's voice was paper thin, and Yami jumped up from the couch to support the suddenly, extremely pale grandfather._

_ "Mouto-san…" Yami called out, his brow wrinkled in worry for the man's heart. It had nearly failed him once, and could very likely do it again. Yami cursed himself for being so stupid and placed an arm around Sugoroku's shoulders, trying to coax him to rise._

Perhaps it would be best for him to rest for the day…

_ "You should lay down. Your heart's been through a lot the past few days—"_

_ Sugoroku's grip on Yami's upper arm was strong and firm, and when Yami turned to face the man he was struck with the steady stare of the adventurer he'd met in his tomb well over a decade or two before._

_ "My heart is fine, Yami, now tell me what will happened to my grandson." The look left no room to dodge, and so, Yami nodded his head once, and felt the elderly man relax, ready for his explanation. Yami only hoped that he wouldn't be too disappointed with the answer._

_ "In all honesty, Mutou-san, I'm not sure. But the fact that he was born in this time leaves me to ponder two possible answers." Yami caught the glance that Sugoroku gave him and grit his teeth, wishing that he knew more. "My soul was sealed the shadow realm. But light cannot exist there, there for my light half must be stolen, banished etc. So, Yugi may just be the incarnation of my lost light half. Meaning that once he returns and… is sacrificed," Yami faltered at the word, feeling sick to his stomach before continuing once more. "…that Yugi, would cease to exist." At the tenseness in Sugoroku's shoulders, Yami winced, his mind returning to the deal he'd made with the gods. Isis had explained what the ceremonial battle would entail if they went ahead with it. The winner of the duel would live, and the loser would be sent away to the afterlife. Suddenly Yami wasn't feeling so great about his deal with the gods._

Have they seen this as a loss on Yugi's side? Is he to die because the gods see me fit to protect the word for another lifetime… alone?

_ "And the other is…?" Sugoroku questioned, his voice shaking, and Yami breathed out a heavy sigh, pushing his thoughts away to face the problem at hand._

A ruler shoulders the weight of his people's despair and hurt. Their anger and fear become his own. I am a ruler… _Yami sighed, his thoughts much the same as they were when he was Atemu, as he put on a false look of surety. _

_ "The second, is the most likely choice. That since Yugi's light is needed, and because my light was still attached to my soul at the time, Yugi's soul was taken as a replacement until the time that my soul is split. My light half will replace Yugi until the time that it is no longer needed, and Yugi's soul will return to it's rightful place."_

He'd given the man false hope then, and now he wondered if that had been so right after all. _Living with useless hope for he rest of his life, waiting for someone who will never return… _

"You kids are looking older than you should, and doing less than a dead person."

Yami jerked back at the insult and looked incredulously up at the man's face, mouth falling slack with shock. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me." Sugoroku didn't sound contentious per-say, but he had a firm tone that left not room for arguments. "Instead of doing something about the problem, you are allowing the circumstances to defeat you, and—"

He'd reacted without thinking. "Do something? Just what is it that I am supposed to do, exactly? Yugi is trapped in my memories and there is _no way_ to bring him back! _There is nothing that can be done!_" Yami snapped, thourally incised that he was being lectured about not doing anything. "r m iri tn s-wr inn iri, i3wt s? grg Anubis n sw3?"

The words were out of his mouth before he remembered that Sugoroku, like Yugi, could understand what he said when he had his fits, and felt like kicking himself when the dark look crossed that old face.

"iri nn iti nf mdw n wi. Iri nn sp tw iw nn pr-aA, tw iw 3b m –n. iri twt st, nn Iw st-xrt-ib m Yugi." Sugoroku paused, his angered look turning soft, and he reached out patting Yami's hand comfortingly, like he would have done for Yugi, and it hit Yami almost harder than his words had.

He blinked, his rage trickling away as he took in the elderly-man's words, for once understanding his biggest fault. _I never… never did… did I? I never thought of that… just protecting him. I never had faith in his own strength… only my own…_

"Believe in my grandson, Yami. Trust in the strength you helped him realize. He'll find a ay back, just as you said he would. So trust him, and your words." Sugoroku then rose to his feet, and left the room with a casual, "Finish eating and join me in the shop." Then, Yami was alone again, with his cooling soup and wounded ego.

"When was it that I stopped trusting you Aibou? When did Jii-chan become stronger than me?" His smile was sadly ironic as he bent to finish his meal.

XXXX

"No, Yami." Yugi cried, doubling over with laughter at the mangled sentence Atemu had attempted to speak to him. It seemed that Japanese was a bit out of the Pharaoh's reach.

"No? What was wrong with it now?" Atemu sounded a little aggravated now, though his good humor was still evident in his eyes.

Yugi sat up again, his legs straddling Atemu's knees as the two relaxed in the garden. It was a miracle the two had found a moment alone in which to practice, what with the Roman empire—Prego-man and King Arthur to be precise—the treaty, and Atemu's usual busy schedule. But, when the Pharaoh said he wanted to learn Yugi's language, time was made for him to do just that.

"The particles are used for certain things, and you can't go somewhere with 'de'. You have to use 'ni'. 'De' implies that you are doing something in that place…" Yugi trailed off at the leering grin that crossed Atemu's face.

It wasn't long before the caress of hands on his legs began. Yugi's face heated up even as he sighed giving the living god a bored look, swiftly pinching the curious hands. "Pervert. Focus, you're the one who wanted to learn this."

Atemu winced, removing his wounded hand and giving Yugi a disbelieving look. "You dare to maim your god?"

Yugi rolled his eyes. "Kimi wa kami ja nai. Hentai ousama."

Crimson eyes narrowed as that quick mind tried to decipher what it was that Yugi said. Yugi was proud and impressed at how quickly Atemu was catching on, but he knew for a fact that he had not taught him what 'hentai' was yet.

As he'd suspected, Atemu gave up a few seconds later, his hands grapping Yugi's hips to pull him closer, his look playful. Yugi grinned his stomach curling with anxious feelings. "What did you just insult me with this time, little one?"

Yugi grinned faking innocence, knowing that his other could see right though him and enjoying the game they played. "Why would I insult you, son of Ra?"

Atemu lifted an eyebrow at him, and for a moment Yugi thought Atemu might kiss him as those tanned hands skimmed up his sides to cradle his face; his thumb stroking the corner of Yugi's mouth, but Atemu only extracted his revenge instead, pinching the soft skin of Yugi's cheek harshly.

"Ah!" Yugi cried, jumping, his own hands clapping over his abused skin. "Yami!" Yugi glowered, as the Pharaoh reclined with a satisfied smirk on his pompous face.

"Yes, my little slave?"

_He's enjoying this way too much. _Yugi thought evilly, contemplating whether he should retaliate or not. From the look on the pharaoh's face, Yugi wasn't going to win this match unless he wanted to continue pulling pranks all night long. _Can't do that, Anuksu needs me to perform well tonight at the farewell banquet to King Arthur and his knight in shining Prego-sauce…_

"That hurt." Yugi whined instead, attempting to look like a wounded puppy. It had always won him his way with his grandfather and friends, and half the time it worked on Yami, but it appeared that Atemu was immune to the puppy-look.

"It was meant to."

Yugi dropped the act, in favor of clamoring off of his other's lap, picking up the ink pen and Papyrus he'd been using to teach Yami the simpler hiragana symbols. "Fine then, as I was showing you this—"

"Are you angry now?" Atemu crooned, his arms looping around Yugi's middle—hot and smooth and oh so strong—and dragging him back into his lap. Yugi shivered a the skin on skin contact, struggling only a little as Atemu cuddled him close, his moist breath fanning over Yugi's shoulder and neck.

Atemu had become quite touchy-feely when the two where alone and it made Yugi both pleased and a little embarrassed. He was still a little concerned with the rules society ha impressed upon him since birth, but gradually Atemu was weaning him from such things.

"Yes, and I'm not talking to you." Yugi whispered, turning his head to the side impishly, and received a meaningful laugh from his pharaoh.

"Oh, I see, so I'm being punished for reacting to your abuse and mockery?" Atemu questioned with a soft nuzzle that ended with his head resting on Yugi's shoulder.

Yugi smiled and tried to keep his good humor from his voice. "Yes, because if you weren't such a horny-beast I wouldn't have pinched you."

"Ahh, but it was your words that made me into a … what is it? A horny-beast?" Atemu asked, his voice sounding a little distant. "That almost sounds like the name of a shadow monster. The horny-beast of the woods…"

Yugi groaned. "That is so stupid there are no words to describe."

Atemu just continue to laugh at his own joke, until Yugi gave in with his own giggle. "Do you want me to teach you this or not, Yami?"

"Of course, Yugi." The words were a sensual purr in his ear, and Yugi wondered if Atemu had always been this way or had that dance three nights ago been a catalyst of pent-up sexual energy.

Yugi blushed in memory, his insides flittering around like a cadged butterfly. _That was quite a feat… defiantly worthy to be a catalyst._ Yugi bit his lip allowing himself a moment to remember while Atemu was busy looking over his shoulder at the symbols he wrote out, translating them—as best he could—into hieroglyphs below.

_ "Dance for me… right here." Atemu's words were a breathy command that heated Yugi's skin deliciously. There was no way he could defy him now, not while those eyes worshiped him._

_ "As you wish, my pr-aA." Yugi replied, his own words barely audible in the heated room. His whole body trembled as he began with a roll of his hips. The motion brought a warm jolt through his belly and it burned in his navel sending tingling shocks through his spine. _

_ This was so much more intimate, the motions of his body somehow more sensual now that he had a firm lap between his spread legs. His thighs tightened at that thought, and Yugi had to ball his hands into fists to keep from reaching out to grip Atemu's broad shoulders, in a—much more heated—reenactment of their fist meeting on this thrown those months before._

Never would have thought I'd be giving him a lap dance in this chair…

_ "… Yugi…" The sound of his name was foreign to his ears from the husky quality of Atemu's voice. The heavy accent that Yugi had never really noticed before, in this time or in his own, made the one word seem sinfully precious and irreplaceable. So much was said in that single utterance, that it left Yugi's heart in a fluttering mess._

_ It was overpowering the power Atemu held over him, that he held over Atemu. Yugi lifted his hands above him, and lowered his head looking up at Atemu through his eyelashes, beginning the dance Anuksu had first taught him. It had always seemed to him that changing a dance to accommodate ones lap would be difficult, but Yugi was quickly finding that it was frighteningly easy._

_ A gasp broke past his lips as he rolled his hips forward and arched his back as the dance had called for. Atemu's fingers flexed on his hips and his breath hitched momentarily at the brush of Yugi's pelvis to his own. Yugi was quickly becoming flushed with passion as he swayed his body against Atemu's in a driving beat that his body had long ago mastered._

_ Breath panted quickly from his open mouth as parts of hi body tightened suddenly aware of just what his dance had represented. He should have realized it, but at the time, he was just glad to have something to do. Now he understood why Pragus had thrown him up there in the first place._

Uhg, don't think of him now… focus on Yami… make him harder than he's been I his entire life… _Yugi flushed at his own daring thought a little surprised with himself but at the same time, insanely proud. _Make him ask you to dance for him every night… make him wish to dance too…

_ Yugi began the tight circles of his hips that Anuksu had taught him, grinding shamelessly against Atemu's lap. A soft breathy grunt came from the Pharaoh's lips and Yugi smirked, snaking his arms down to stroke the skin on Atemu's neck and shoulders as he mimicked the thrusting motions of sex against the teen. Atemu's reaction was instantaneous as he rolled up and against Yugi, his hands pulling Yugi against him as he began his own dance against Yugi's tightly strung body. _

_ Yugi gasped, trembling as Atemu changed the tempo of their dance, showing Yugi how to improvise the running and spinning he could not do while in someone's lap. It was a slow building grind, bodies moving together in teasing caresses, as body heat increased holding Yugi in a burning need._

_ The first moan escaped, and Atemu's lips moved to taste it, but Yugi pulled back, using the shock of the moment to move up onto his knees, a playful smile on his lips to kill any miscommunication. He wasn't backing out, he was only saying without words that his dance was not over yet. _

_ Atemu smirked, his hands slipping from hips, to thighs, before falling to the sides of the throne, clearly giving Yugi the reign to continue the play. Yugi felt the coil of heat in his stomach lurch at that little accent. _

Yeah… I am totally gay… _Yugi thought a little testily, though he couldn't wipe the grin from his face if he tried. _Maybe… maybe this was what I… I was looking for… all along. _His smile was ironic and a little sad. _To find Yami… The Yami that wanted me… not really the protector, but the lover… damn, I'm thinking weird now…_ Yugi shoved such things from his mind as he focused on his dance. _

_ The cloth of his dancing garb seemed almost rough in contrasted with the silk attire that brushed against his inner thighs as he swayed from side to side, seducing, calling, coaxing. Yugi almost wished he was in his normal clothes so he could feel that fabric against him. Again, his hands moved up above his head only to coil down around himself as he rolled back, his fingertips sliding over his own skin raising goose-bumps and desire before landing on Atemu's exposed knees as gently as sakura petals in the spring._

_ Atemu's smirk deepened as he sunk deeper into his seat, knees sliding apart without any resistance, allowing Yugi to slip between. Yugi's heart picked up pace and the trembling uncertainty returned. Was he doing this right? Was he moving too fast? _I guess not… I mean I've known Yami since… oh but that was in the future…_Again Yugi didn't feel like dealing with the rights or wrongs and so chucked them out the window. He allowed his bottom to sink until it hit the edge of the throne, his legs looping up and over Atemu's hips, their position very compromising. Atemu's eyebrows shot up at Yugi's boldness, and Yugi felt his elbows buckle nearly dropping him to the floor, but Atemu's quick hands held him up as they clung to his knees, dragging him just a bit closer, pulling the wrap Atemu wore up around his hips and pressing a fairly prominent bulge to Yugi's backside._

_ Yugi squeaked and turned violet as his body responded to the call with positive heat. Atemu groaned, fingers curling into the soft skin beneath Yugi's knees and it made Yugi shiver more at the feel of his clothes and Atemu's grip. _

_ Atemu rolled his hips only once before relinquishing power back to Yugi, implying that he would still allow Yugi to finish his dance. The man really was conceited, but it was a good kind Yugi decided, as he allowed his arms to relax, placing his weight on his stomach muscles in order to snake his arms up and down Atemu's legs; playfully tracing the golden leg bands on his shins. _

_ Atemu shivered and gripped Yugi a little tighter. His eyes had yet to look away from Yugi, and the small duelist knew this because he could feel that fiery gaze burning him alive even a he practically hung upside down from the chair._

_ Yugi stayed there for several beats, this was where his usual flip was, but it would be a bit difficult to pull that off without kicking Atemu. So, Yugi improvised. Pressing close to Atemu's erection Yugi shifted his legs to use the Pharaoh as a lift and pulled himself up slowly, his arms sinking around those perfect shoulders as he gyrated several times between Atemu's—now quivering thighs—before continuing the rise back to his knees. Atemu made a grunt of need and Yugi smirked, pressing close, eyes closing as he arched back in the end pose._

_ Hot lips attached to his chest the moment he froze, and Yugi gasped in pleasured shock, as those hands shot around him faster than a shadow game. Skilled fingers brushed over tender skin bringing mewls, and whimpers to the air as Yugi began a new dance._

_Atemu's dance._

_ Sweat began to bead across his skin as the caresses turned to gripping demands that urged him to sit back down. Yugi was pleased to find Atemu's skin as damp as his own, as that talented mouth devoured his chest, leaving dark love marks over his pale skin. Atemu's tongue was a soft brand that traced up him, bypassing both of his nipples in favor of his collarbone. Teeth set against his flesh then as the mouth loved him. Yugi purred, his eyes sinking closed as his fingers found purchase in Atemu's semi-damp hair, his nails scraping down the scalp._

_ Atemu grunted and fairly slammed Yugi down into his lap, hands becoming bands of steel on Yugi's hips, his hips rolling up and against Yugi creating a blissful friction, and lips claimed his own in a passionate kiss. Yugi willingly melted, one hand slipping free from Atemu's hair to trace patterns on the back of his neck. He seemed to like that, as his lips pressed closer, that marvelous tongue sneaking out to trace Yugi's lower lip, his teeth joining in to test it, coaxing it between his own where he laid claim. _

_ Yugi gasped, moaning again as the hands on his hips encouraged him to roll and grind, rubbing his own erection against Atemu's lower stomach. Atemu grunted, lips parting to taste Yugi's mouth, tongue pillaging his mouth again, and Yugi tightened his hold on Atemu, pressing closer, his own tongue starting up a new game. Mentally, Yugi prayed Mahado would not feel as inclined as to interrupt again. _If he does… I'll molest his god right in front of him I swear it… _Yugi thought though his insides curled and knotted at that thought of that._

_ "Yugi…"_

_ "Yami…" Yugi breathed, lips parting further, taking this moment to back Atemu's tongue back into his own mouth so that Yugi could explore._

_ Atemu's mouth was hot and flavored with the spices from the dinner. Yugi found that he like the taste and that his earlier thoughts that the dinner must have tasted as good as it had smelled had been true. He felt those long fingers trace up his spine, slipping beneath the small vest he wore tracing patterns there—perhaps hieroglyphs—and it made Yugi's toes curl in delight._

_ The kisses became sloppy and wet as breathing became erratic and hurried, hips rolling and grinding together in a hurried sync. Yugi trembled from the pleasure that bubbled through him as he rocked against Atemu, feeling the bite of stone against his legs though his clothes, and Atemu's desire against his backside. _

_ Atemu's breath scorched his skin as they pulled apart again, lips swollen and tingling from the harsh kisses, and those fingers lowered to cup Yugi's backend, forcing the pace to quicken._

_ "Ah!… Y—ami.. I..I… can't…"Yugi panted his vision already blurred by his passion, his body overheated and ready to collapse. Atemu kissed his shoulder lovingly, amazingly gentle in the passionate moment._

_ "… just a little more… hold on…" Atemu breathed, curling around Yugi's smaller form, rolling and grinding faster, his fingers biting into his hips pulling him along, and increasing the pull on that knot in his gut. Each stroke and brush made he knot pulse and burn. Yugi's cloths clung to him uncomfortably but he couldn't stop, wouldn't stop not now, not ever! _

_ It was Atemu's grunt of pleasure in his ear that threw him over the edge. A simple sound and brush o breath on his ear, and Yugi was muffling his cry by biting Atemu's shoulder, and clinging to that hot body. The knot burst with a rush of heat that soiled his dancing cloths and dribbled down his quaking thighs. His spine tingled pleasantly as white blocked his vision._

_ Atemu groaned deeply and continued to rock against him for several moments more before he too reached completion, his lips forcing a deep kiss on Yugi. Their breaths mingled long after they both returned from their high, and Atemu relaxed back into his throne, pulling Yugi to rest against him, his fingers running up and down his back, tracing the scars the whips had left behind._

_ "I thank you. Your performance was very satisfying."_

_ Yugi laughed out right then, poking Atemu in the ribs as the tension that would have settled in after such a drastic change in their relationship, dissolved before really taking hold. "I'm sure… you nymphomaniac." _

_ Atemu chuckled, kissing Yugi's damp forehead sweetly. _I never would have pegged him as an afterglow cuddler… _ Yugi thought with a smile, returning the kiss to Atemu's chest._

_ "Aishiteru, mou hitori no boku…" There was a long stretch of silence where Yugi came to grips with his own feelings and Atemu tried to decide whether Yugi had insulted him or praised him._

_ "Yugi."_

_ "Hm?"_

_ "I wish for you to teach me." Atemu said, looking at some distant point in the room, and Yugi looked at him curiously, sitting back up, and regretting it when he realized that he'd need to wash before bed, if the cold spot in his pants was anything to go by. _Gross… nasty body fluids…

_ "Teach you what?" Yugi managed to ask, and finally regained Atemu's attention. Crimson looked at him tenderly, his fingers brushing the side of Yugi's face lovingly. _

_ "Your language."_

"Aibou."

Yugi jerked to attention so fast his mind suffered a bout of whiplash. His heart clenched painfully tight, and breathing became difficult. "W…what did you just…" Yugi trailed off, face cold with lack of blood, as he focused on Atemu. His sudden shift in mood alarmed Atemu some, if his concerned look was anything to go by, but instead of questioning him, Atemu just pointed to the papyrus and the symbols Yugi had written earlier.

"ari in your language is 'aibou,' right?"

For some reason, Yugi wanted to cry. "Y—yeah, that's right." Yugi stammered with a forced smile, and this time Atemu frowned pulling Yugi around to face him, gaze steady and firm: he wanted answers.

"Yugi, what is the matter?"

_"Aibou, are you all right?"_

Yugi choked on a sob, his chest painfully tight, as he suddenly began to see the things he'd tried to ignore before, but they seemed to glare back at him defiantly, daring him to try and forget again.

The darker skin tone, the regal jewelry, the speech pattern, the thickness of his accent. It was his Yami, but it wasn't all at once. It was just a small piece of the man he'd loved before he'd been aware of it, yet it was all he was allowed. He should be satisfied with that, but some part of him couldn't settle for that, and still wished for his home and his soul partner, who called him Aibou, and overreacted about everything. Who was over baring and a little smothering, but remained the other part of his soul.

"Yugi?" Atemu sounded worried, and his angered eyes flashed. Yugi smiled through the pain, recognizing the look and missing it all the same.

A kiss stalled further questions and Yugi felt the tension leave Atemu's frame at the tender meeting of lips. _I'm selfish aren't I… but I can't let you go… but I can't let him go either… does this make me a player? Damn it! Can't anything makes sense and just let me be happy for once?_

"Yugi?"

"I'm fine… Atemu." Yugi felt the jolt Atemu made at the sound of his own name instead of the pet name Yugi had given him, and smiled hugging him close, listening to the heart he'd longed for with a bittersweet smile. "I'm just emotional right now."

Atemu accepted Yugi's answer for the time being and simply coddled him close. "You want to continue later?"

Yugi nodded his head, and closed his eyes. "If that's okay with you."

Atemu faked a dramatic sigh—something he'd picked up from Yugi—and sagged in his seat. "I guess."

Yugi smiled again, this time a little less forced, and wrinkled his nose up at him as he stuck out his tongue, "You better be."

Atemu nipped at Yugi's pink appendage and made Yugi jump and squeak out in alarm. He only smirked at Yugi's outrage, a laid back closing his eyes, arms trapping Yugi to him.

"Don't stick that out unless you intend to use it."

Yugi blushed.

"Hentai."

XXXX

A growl filled the day-heated room, and echoed eerily through the occupants within it. "It's been well over a month, how much more time does that thief need?" Pragus asked angrily, swiping his hand across the table and sending papers and maps spilling onto the floor. The men in the room tittered quietly, also concerned by the man's tardiness.

"We leave tomorrow, we can't conquer this land without that trump card! How are we to attain it if we must leave?" He was blowing steam now that it appeared his ideal future had a few flaws in it.

It had been working so well too. Fastosus had fallen into his hands quite readily, parting his legs and crying out words of love without a second thought. The young ruler had been easily manipulated, and the murder of his father even more so. The child was wrapped around his finger, and if he told him to drop dead, Pragus was fairly certain the child would.

_But that damn pharaoh… and that thief king… _Pragus snarled again, glaring at the map he'd made outlining the new empire that awaited him once he had control over the shadows the Egyptians had at their disposal, but it appeared his dream was as of yet unattainable.

He'd thought bringing down Atemu would be child's play, especially after his possessive display the last time he'd been there. That dancer would have been an easy downfall, but now it seemed that even that weakness had hardened over.

"Damn it! What am I missing?"

"Pragus?" The small timid voice of the Cesar came from the corner of the room, and grated on the taller man's nerves.

"What is it, Fastosus?" He asked coldly, eyes never leaving the map before him.

"Well, why not crush this empire with our army? Why go after some voodoo, that may or may not exist?"

Pragus had the urge to hit the boy as he often did, but any mark that appeared on his pristine head while here in khemet would arouse suspicion, and that pharaoh was already too perceptive as it was.

"You still do not understand this? This 'voodoo' is what slaughtered our best troops in your grandfather's rule, little idiot. If we try to attack directly we will be wiped out completely." Pragus looked up then, only to glare at the boy who had voices such idiocy and watched as the child's head lowered in shame. "Do not speak of things you have no understanding of!"

He turned back to his angsting, and glaring over the map. What could possibly be done now? It would be difficult to try and find the powerful creature on their own. They had no name or resting place, and they knew nothing of conjuring the shadows, but it seemed their only connection had gone missing. _That's what happens when you pay in advance… _Pragus clenched his teeth and closed his eyes in annoyance.

"Tell me, you little slut!" The bright, female voice was muffled by the walls and door of the room, but through the window that overlooked the garden the words were clear. Pragus was certain that he knew the voice, and curiously walked toward the small opening and peered down toward the ground.

"Slut? I—I haven't—we didn't—I'm still a virgin I'll have you know!" The response to the girl—the dancer he'd assaulted into sending his message to the thief King Bakura—brought a needy smirk to his face. _That sweet voice… I'd recognize it in death. Sweet little dancer, when this land is mine I'll have a taste of your flesh. You scream for me… yes…_

"Still a…" The dancing girl was carrying a basket filled with linen; she was practically dwarfed by the load. Yugi was walking beside her with his own basket that carried what looked like the Pharaoh's clothes. Seemed they intended to do the laundry together. _So… the pharaoh's little break from reality is over now is it?_

"Yeah, what did you—"

"You had four hours alone with him and you didn't…" The girl gave a growl of annoyance, and for a moment it looked like she might throw her basket at the boy's head. "What _did_ you do then? Talk?"

"…yes?"

"That wasn't a question… wait… all you two did was…" She did throw the basket then.

"Ah! Anuksu! What was that about? Hey! Stop—throwing—Ah! I'm sorry!" Yugi cried, trying to block his small body with his basket, laughter rising from him as the girl continued to grab cloth from the spilled mess on the ground to chuck at him.

Pragus watched with lecherous intent, pleased by the sight of the boy in nothing more than a small wrap with cord to hold it up. He was a catch, and it irked him that the small boy-king of this land had a hold of such a being. _And has yet to try him out… is the pharaoh that stupid? _

"What are you so interested in, Pragus?" Fastosus asked, nudging his way beside him to look down below as well. Pragus sneered, angered that his brief relief from reality had been ruined by his first conquest.

The small king seemed to catch on quickly as his face schooled into a look of jealous rage, as he looked down upon the small dancer. Pragus rolled his eyes, turning back to the room. Such actions bored him, and he had no time for childish tantrums.

"You… that's why you wished to see the dancers. That little bastard has caught your eye has he, Pragus?" Fastosus asked in a cold manner that showed the person capable of murdering his own father for his lover.

"Has Ptoleme checked in yet?" Pragus asked, purposefully ignoring the boy's question. His soldiers blinked around at each other, seemingly wanting someone else to give the bad news.

"No, he has not! Now answer my question, Pragus! What are you thinking going after that brat, when you have—" Fastosus's question was cut abruptly short as Pragus swung around, the back of his hand catching the child on the cheek. The force of the blow sent Fastosus flying into the wall behind him before sliding to the floor.

"Shut your trap! I owe you no explanations you foolish child. In the grown up world it is common for men to satisfy their urges for others, know your place before you speak. It would save us all the embarrassment of hearing your childish prattle."

Silence engulfed the room as the young ruler took in the words his lover had spoken. His face crumbled, and Pragus snorted in disgust turning from the child with a withering look. "Any idea of where Ptoleme may be?"

"The rondevu point was abandoned. We have no other thoughts of where he could be, sir." One brave soldier spoke up from somewhere in the back.

"I see. You!" Fastosus pointed to one of the newer soldiers, expendable and easily replaced. "Stay at the safe house incase he returns. If he does bring him to me immediately!" The young man nodded and left the room. Fastosus stood and followed the man out.

"Don't go too far, I don't have time to go looking for you." Pragus said without looking up. If Fastosus heard him he didn't say anything as he left.

XXXX

The musky smell of the tomb had grown stale the further into the tunnels he traveled. The torchlights had created a sharp smell that made his nose burn and itch. It was a minor annoyance that was easily ignored by one as accustomed to the smell as he was, but that young Roman that had followed him in would have been driven mad by it, he was certain.

Bakura's grin was crazed as he recalled the spineless warrior that had collapsed so easily beneath the magic of the shadows. It was no wonder why the foolish pale fighters sought to control the beasts of Anubis's gateway. They were so frail and unstable. It would be fun to see them attempt to control the shadows; they would be driven mad long before they even conceived the idea to try and command them.

It was such an enjoyable job that they'd given to him. Paying him richly to give them madness, the only draw back had been the time it had taken him to find and break in to the old temple turned crypt. _Damn spirit barriers… so fucking annoying when breaking in._ Bakura thought o himself as he turned at the corner, knowing from experience not to bother reading the written warnings on the walls. Most of them were exaggerated and spoke of curses that didn't really exist, at least not for he who survived the dark magics of hell. No, most spells didn't work against him. Many said it was because his mind was far too shattered, others believed he was too evil; whatever the reason was Bakura enjoyed his immunity.

It was just luck that this temple was sealed by the self-sacrifice of a soul. In the legends it was said that one of the gods gave his life to seal away the darkest of the shadow in the temple of Apep. Bakura had thought that to be a load of shit, but with all the trouble he'd had entering the place, he was forced into believing.

A lot of good that sacrifice did him. I was still able to come in, and soon Exodia will be freed from his slumber, and then…

"Goodbye pr-aA." Bakura's voice was gruff with malice as h turned another corner and entered into a large room, shadowed in darkness. The firelight from his torch seemed muted in the room as though the shadows swallowed up the fragile light.

"Its here…" Bakura grinned, lifting the light higher as he stepped further into the room, the small pool of vision surrounding him. Sound was also sucked away to be destroyed by the empty nothingness that consumed the room.

The air as different in the room, still as death and yet moving; like a force that could not fully be controlled: the Nile for example, but the room was as dry as the sand outside.

Yes, this had to be the room. Walking further inside, Bakura carefully looked for some kind of trap, but it appeared that the constructors had figured the spiritual barriers and word of mouth warnings would be enough to fend off anyone foolish enough to attempt breaking in. No one had ever thought to prevent suicidal psychopaths from entering obviously.

On the farthest wall his light reflected back and drew his attention to the giant carving on the stone slab. Gold sealed the figure of a massive god-like being. One that was said to have once been the guardian and gatekeeper to the underworld before Aker took over that post, and the image shown there looked the part.

"Hello." Bakura smirked, setting his torch down in order to use his hands. For a beast that's been sealed for centuries, it should be simple task raising him. With a quick flick of his wrists, Bakura urged the dark power through his body, dropping the temperature in the room quickly, until his breath was visible before him. The tips of his fingers and toes smarted at the drastic change, but the whit-haired tomb robber hardly noticed as he urged the figure on the slab of rock to life: movement, destruction, pain, and revenge.

The crackling response of the monster was the only warning Bakura had as the stone slab grew luminous for a brief flickering moment before the light was extinguished by the dark nothingness of the beings soul.

The explosion shook the earth and echoed into the late night sky like death's withered cry and silenced the very breath in the air. It knew, the evil had returned.

XXXX

The oil-lamp's glow was the only light source in the expansive room. It bounced off of the gilded pillars engraved with spells of protection and good health. The bright, vivid colors of the bed sheets and cloth seemed warm and comforting in the flickering light.

Atemu sighed softly from his reclined position on his bed, his fingers brushing through the soft hair that was pooled in his lap where Yugi had cried himself to sleep. The candlelight made his puffy eyes and red nose less visible, returning the soft beauty he usually carried with him. _You had a rough night haven't you. _Atemu thought, his fingers tucking the violet tipped ebony behind one perfect ear, before following the path down his neck to his back. His eyes stalled regrettably over the multiple scars that marked up his back. He made sure to trace each one with the tip of his finger, willing them away though he knew there was no way to completely erase the marks cruelty had dealt him.

"pr-aA?" Jonoh's voice came from the doorway and drew Atemu's attention from the past. His guard stood at attention, looking as impassive as ever, but his eyes held a sharp anger that gave away his concern for the one cradled in the Pharaoh's lap still garbed in his exquisite dancing attire.

"He is fine. A little traumatized, but physically unharmed. Sleep will care for the rest." Atemu answered in a low voice so as not to rouse Yugi from his sleep. Jonoh watched the motion with steady eyes, his shoulders barely relaxing in response to Atemu's words. "Besides, Fastosus and his men leave tomorrow. That more than anything else should ease Yugi's grief."

Jonoh made a sound of agreement and turned back to the door, looking a little concerned. Atemu didn't really wish to deal with concerning thoughts, but had no real way to simply ignore them. Besides, if he didn't ask, Jonoh would just bring the issue up with Seth and then he'd hear it from his cousin, and anything coming from Seth sounded more like an apocalypse than anything else.

"Something troubling you, Jonoh?"

"Nothing really, pr-aA. Just…" Jonoh tapered off, his eyes growing distant much like Seth's did when he was contemplating something. Those two really spent too much time together if Seth's traits were beginning to rub off on the guard.

"Nothing is irrelevant. Tell me."

"I just do not understand why the Romans felt it necessary to come all the way out here to confirm the signing of the treaty. Especially with a new ruler, it just seems too reckless to me."

Atemu couldn't refute that, he'd been pondering the same thing for some time himself, and his instincts warned him that something was amiss, but until there was some form of attack or fact to bas his unease on there was nothing he could do.

"… and why show such disrespect at their last meal here?"

Atemu glanced up at that comment, not surprised to find Jonoh's eyes focused on Yugi's sleeping form. Instinctively, Atemu pulled the light blanket higher up around Yugi to cover his back.

"That is a question."

"What was gained by throwing his drink at Yugi? And what reason did he have for doing it?"

"I have no clue." Atemu answered, though he had a vague idea as to why Fastosus had attacked Yugi during the dancers performance, if the sour look he gave Pragus when the man grabbed his arm and pulled him from the room was any indication. _Jealousy can bring many bad consequences and actions. _Atemu caressed Yugi's cheek with a deep care, his face soft with an emotion he was still uncertain of.

Jonoh began to shift, uncomfortable with the tenderness that Atemu was showing, and made a hasty retreat, once again leaving the two alone in the candlelit room. Atemu was grateful for the silence, as it allowed him to watch his little dancer without other worries plaguing his mind. _Jonoh was right though, their actions have been rather disturbing, and if their ruler is unstable enough to strike out at an innocent in his jealousy, than perhaps the child is nothing more than a figurehead, and the real ruler is somewhere else…_

Yugi made a soft sound of distress in his sleep, and curled closer, his fingers curling into the soft fabric of Atemu's dinner wear. Atemu returned to petting Yugi's hair, soothing him with touch as best as he could, recalling the bizarre events at dinner.

_ The music cut of with an ear-spitting silence, as the ring of the fallen goblet echoed through the main hall. Soft droplets of wine made a puddle on the floor between the pale, silver shoed feet of the assaulted dancer. _

_ Amethyst eyes blinked wide, the male dancer frozen in mid step, the red liquid running down his rounded cheeks and soaking into the fabric of his vest, staining the beautiful color a deep purple color; the excess liquid streaking down his chest and stomach to be absorbed by the dancing scarf he'd wrapped about his hips. _

_ Shocked pain was written across his face and oozed dark red from the shallow gash on his forehead. He stared in confusion at the boy-king who stood before him across the expanse of the table. Pale eyes narrowed in hate, lips curled in distaste._

_ Someone gasped and broke the spell. Yugi's lip started to tremble and Atemu jumped to his feet, angered that anyone would dare to strike out at what was his, just as Pragus stood grabbing the young king by his upper arm, in a grip that looked quite painful, and the other dancers flocked forward and around Yugi blocking him from everyone. Anuksu was at its center holding Yugi. Atemu gave her a quick look and she nodded understanding his silent request, and just like that the dancers swept from the room._

_ "What was that about, Cesar?" Atemu questioned once he was certain Yugi was safe. It was bad enough the dance was interrupted at Yugi's solo, and it didn't help Atemu's nerves one bit, but being unable to punish the one who'd ended it was like salt in a fresh wound._

_ The child turned murderous eyes on Atemu, and for an instant Atemu thought that the child would dare to attack him. He saw Seth stiffen in his seat, gripping his millennium item close; Jonoh too, straightened a bit from his position behind Seth in response to the challenge the young ruler was clearly sending. _

_ "Please excuse him, pr-aA," Atemu lifted an eyebrow at Pragus, surprised at the politeness the man was giving him as he defused the situation with a light bow. "My lord has been a bit under the weather as of late. I think he needs to rest, please excuse us." Pragus's politeness was as unnerving as the way he had to bite the words out through his gritted teeth. _

_ Seth seemed to think so as well, as he suddenly rose and disappeared from the room, most likely to follow the two dignitaries. Atemu watched him go, waving at the musicians to continue playing before he too left the room. Yugi was bound to need him. _

"I was right too…" Atemu whispered to the sleeping dancer.Yugi had been in a blank shock in the room when he'd entered. Anuksu had seemed rather concerned by his blank stare and had risen to tell him of her concern when Yugi had suddenly thrown himself into his arms sobbing inconsolably.

Anuksu had left soon after, leaving Yugi's care to her god. Atemu was still unsure as to just why the incident had affected Yugi so badly, but hadn't questioned it and allowed Yugi to cry and seek comfort through his body. The desperate kisses had been sweet and enjoyable, though Atemu had wished they had been given under better circumstances. _He's still so careful about what we do together… it's a shame that our affections should be brought on in this manner. _Atemu thought sadly, his finger tracing Yugi's lips in remembrance. Yugi wrinkled his nose at the feel and Atemu smiled, bending low to press a swift kiss to the lips before sitting back up, lest he wake him.

_"…Yami, kiss me." The saddened baleful eyes looked up at him and Atemu found he could not deny them. Bending low he caught the quivering lips in a tender kiss, slowly loving them. They parted quickly, needing the deeper contact that he'd given before, but Atemu took his time worrying the lower lip gently with his tongue, before switching for the top. Yugi whimpered and those hands twined into his hair pulling him closer. Atemu braced Yugi's face with his hands easing his frantic need and easing his tongue into Yugi's open mouth, coaxing Yugi to slow down. After a time Yugi seemed to understand that what he needed now was tenderness, not passion, and slowly the kisses eased up until hey stopped all together with Yugi curled up on top of him, sniffling every so often and snuggling closer. "Sorry…"_

_ "It is fine, Yugi." Atemu whispered, holding Yugi to his heart. "I understand."_

_ "Thank you, Yami…"_

"…So, we're back to 'Yami' now are we?" Atemu whispered, feeling the twinge of pain that settled in his chest. He wasn't stupid, he knew what it was that Yugi was doing whenever he called him Yami. It wasn't some pet name; it was the name he would receive sometime in his future. It was the name of another person he would not know until after he'd died. Sure it was still him that Yugi called to, but it wasn't quite what Atemu wanted.

It was Yami that Yugi desperately missed and wanted by his side that had been proven to him all too clearly in the garden earlier. He'd called him 'aibou,' something that Yami was said to do, and Yugi had nearly collapsed. _Perhaps that was what brought on your tears. I reminded you that you still did not have you're precious Yami by your side, and you were just looking for a reason to cry. _

Atemu pushed the soft golden bangs from Yugi's forehead, feeling slightly used. _But for a moment you acknowledged me. You called me 'Atemu.' For that moment you were mine, not Yami's, and I intend to keep you, aibou._

His conviction was shattered with the harp spike in shadow magic. It shot through his head like a spear and Atemu winced, lifting a hand to his temple. _What in khemet was that? _Atemu thought his heart lurching painfully in his chest as fear swallowed his insides in an icy grip. Whatever it was, it was far more powerful than even his god beasts.

The air seemed to hum with tension before suddenly dying. The wind stopped blowing and everything became still as death. Atemu's ears popped uncomfortably as the pressure changed. Something had just changed. The power had shifted from the crown to some other force. "Dear Ra, what—"

Yugi shot up screaming. The sudden sound made Atemu jump and he grasped at his chest trying to force his heart to calm before reaching out and grabbing the panicked Yugi.

"Yugi! Yugi, calm down, what is wrong?" Atemu exclaimed when Yugi's dilated eyes seemed to not even see him at all, still trapped in his nightmare. _Just like last time… _Atemu's heart clenched and he yanked Yugi to his chest, holding tightly, enough to hurt. "I'm here Yugi, you're awake now, it can't—"

"… he's here…" The words were a rasp of incense in a death-filled tomb, and drew a fearful chill down Atemu's spine. He pulled back from Yugi slowly, looking into the blank, amethyst, his heart still and cold in its place.

"Wha—"

"pr-aA!" Mahado burst in through the doors, eyes wide with panic, a film of sweat on his brow. "pr-aA, the Romans!"

Atemu sat up stiffly, his grief building as images of Khemet's destruction raced through his mind. Was Yugi's warning true? Had the Roman empire descended upon them when they least expected them to?

"What about them?" Atemu growled low, his fingers biting harshly into Yugi's arms, the pinch seemed to bring him around, because Atemu could feel his flinch and relaxed his hold a little.

"They've—"

Seth suddenly strode into the room, his hands filled with a large parchment. "They have been plotting our downfall, as I have feared."

Atemu cursed, rising from the bed and moving angrily toward the door. Screw the treaty; they currently held Rome's only ruler, killing him would kill the nation and the threat.

"Have them detained in the cells." Atemu growled out, hand going to the puzzle around his neck. "I think its time I enlightened them to the reason why Khemet is a worthy adversary. The shadows will enjoy this."

Seth nodded his agreement, but his face still held the sharp lines of distress that Atemu did not like in the least. "They have already been detained," Seth said in a cool, even voice. Atemu was sure that Seth had made sure of that personally, probably after finding out their plan after having followed Pragus and Fastosus, and he was also fairly certain he knew just who was behind this deception.

"Yami?" Yugi called weakly from the bed, and looking back, he saw that Yugi was moving to follow him.

"No." Atemu said firmly, his eyes hard, clearly telling Yugi not to press the issue. The boy froze on the edge of the bed, swallowing thickly in fear. He was worried for him again; his concern was touching. "I wan you to stay here. Mahado, stay with him."

The white priest nodded once and moved into the room to stand beside Yugi.

"Seth." Atemu addressed, waiting for his cousin to lead him from the room, or fill him in on the rest of the events, but the dark priest did neither. "Seth?"

"There is more, Atemu." Seth spoke quietly. The usage of his name made Atemu's stomach bottom out. _What exactly is he not telling me?_

"Priest…" Atemu threatened, and gained his answer as the first of the uneasy screams came in from outside the palace.

"They have resurrected Exodia."

"Exodia?" Mahado gasped in shocked horror. "How could they… but the seal—"

"Has been broken, did you not feel it?" Seth snapped back, irritated, and Atemu could find no fault in him, the situation made him sick enough as it was. There was no excuse behind such stupidity, and no remedy.

The blood leaked from Atemu's face as surely as the cries of fear left the lips of fearful people in the city below. _Those stupid bastards… they have no idea… just what they've done…_

"A—are you certain?"

"Don't be stupid, Atemu. I know you sensed it, just as clearly as I have. Do not insult our bloodline with irrelevant ques—" The sharp shudder and upheaval of earth stopped Seth's triad and sent them all to the ground.

Several things toppled to the floor, glass shattered and scrolls rolled across the floor. Yugi let out a squeak of terror as he was tossed to the ground as well, landing with a loud thud. Atemu scrambled across the quaking floor to his side, quickly pulling Yugi into his arms.

"Y—ami! What—is this an.. earthquake?" Yugi gasped, clinging tightly to his chest. Atemu wasn't sure what it was Yugi was talking about, but shook his head anyway.

"No… this is Exodia."

"E…Exodia?"

Atemu sighed. "Yes, Exodia, the shadow monster sealed in the temple of Apep. A creature born of pure evil, and undefeatable."

Yugi's breath hitched, his fingers curling tighter in Atemu's top. Atemu pulled Yugi closer, fearing for his kingdom. How was he supposed to fight this? Was there any way to fight it?

As the tremors eased off and the screaming faded, Atemu rose to his feet. He had to work quickly if he wished to protect his people. Passing Yugi over to Mahado, Atemu turned back to Seth, who was already walking out the door.

"Yami!"

"Stay!" Atemu snapped turning to Yugi briefly. Yugi stopped at the command his eyes looking wounded, and Atemu flinched. "With Exodia's awakening the shadows will have an easier time escaping, it would be safer for you to stay here. So, wait." Again turning to the door Atemu made to follow Seth when—from the corner of his eye—he caught sight of the second Millennium puzzle glowing brightly undisturbed in all the chaos, but what it meant and the implications were lost to him as he left the room, reaching out the those loyal Shadow beasts who would be willing to help him keep Khemet from ruin.

The war of the darkness had begun.

(Ending Theme: Night Flowers)

_ai no kuni wo samayou_

_watashi wo mitsuke dashite_

_tsubasa ni wa mada_

_surikireta hazu no kokoro kakushite_

_watashi no mune wo someta_

_ikusen no hanabira wa_

_kanashii kurai anata wo koishiku saseru_

_mou ichido_

_sugaritsuku shunkan_

_surinukeru maboroshi_

_anata no subete wo ubai saritai_

_itetsuita NAIFU kazashi_

_ai wa mau yoru no hana wo chirashite_

_aishite, iyasarete, tokihanatsu - kokoro sae..._

_motto hageshiku kanjite_

_sadame nara_

_yasuragi mo, nukumori mo iranai_

_itetsuita NAIFU kazashi_

_ai wa mau yoru no hana wo chirashite_

_kowashite, kizutsukete, tojikomete - kokoro sae..._

_motto hageshiku aishite_

Translations:

**Apep:**__The great Destroyer

**s3 nt sAb…**: Son of a Jackle

**r m iri tn s-wr inn iri, i3wt s? grg Anubis n sw3?**: What do you promote we do, old man? Beg Anubis to pass?

iri nn iti nf mdw n wi. Iri nn sp tw iw nn pr-aA, tw iw 3b m –n. iri twt st, nn Iw st-xrt-ib m Yugi.: Do not use that voice with me. In this time you are not Pharaoh, you are stay(ing) with us. Act like it, and have faith in Yugi.

Kimi wa kami ja nai. Hentai ousama.: You are not a god, king pervert.

Aishiteru, mou hitoi no boku: I love you, the other me.


	15. Chapter 14

**A.N. SMUT AHOY! Okay this fic was rated 'M' for a reason, if you are squimish or did not want to read adult material then WHY ARE YOU IN THE 'M' SECTION? Please, this is your warning, leave now if you do not like this sort of thing!**

Chapter Fourteen

The doorbell chimed brightly as the small group of middle-schoolers left the Kame game shop, their voices light and excited with the new things they'd bought. It brought a soft contentment to the old heart of his as he watched the young children. They were so innocent yet, blissfully unaware of the hardships life could bring, but strong enough with vibrant life that they would conquer the hardships that stared back at them and dared them to walk on. Yes, these children would create miracles in their time.

The creak of the worn stairs that led up into the house, told him of his company, and Sugoroku hummed to himself, picking up a rag and wiping down the counter so as to appear busy. After all, his lie had brought the young man down in the first place, if he wanted to keep Yami from wallowing in his self-pity he'd need to keep the lie up.

"Finally a break in the rush. Feels nice, have a chance to breath." Sugoroku paused purposefully, waiting for some response from the being inhabiting his grandson's body.

There was a tense uneasiness, and Sugoroku could hear the shuffling sounds as Yami shifted. _He's so stubborn… How ever did Yugi deal with him? _Sugoroku thought with mild humor. He wasn't as clueless as he let on most of the time. He knew how it was that Yugi kept the once pharaoh in line. He could see it in Yami's eyes and his actions, not to mention he'd heard both secrets from Anzu and Jou. Being a surrogate parent for all those kids had its pluses: he was never out of the loop. _I guess I should be a little more concerned with the apparent sexual preference of my grandson's partner… _Sugoroku thought to himself, recalling Honda's disgust with the issue. Even if homosexuality was more openly excepted in their country than in the others around the world, that didn't mean it was embraced. Many still frowned on the issue, and the hate for such things was still high. It was one thing to talk about it, and create make-believe stories and characters with homo-sexual tendencies, it was quite another for real people to express the same tendencies. _…Poor Honda, he's going to have a tough time with the times. Love isn't something you can pick and choose, it chooses you, and once it's got you there's no escaping it. _

"Uh… I owe you an apology, Mouto-san." Yami spoke from the bottom of the stairs. Sugoroku looked up, somewhat pleased that Yami had taken the time to dress himself before coming down the stairs. _He's in better condition than I thought. This might just work after all…_

"I… I have been… neglecting the trust I should have placed in Yugi… in all of our friends, actually." Yami sounded rather disgusted with himself as he ran a hand through his hair, the wild spikes pushing back and slipping forward into the air with an unearthly grace.

"Panicking is only natural when ones loved-one goes missing." Sugoroku stated blankly, scrubbing at the countertop as those crimson eyes shot up in a fearful shock. He pretended not to notice Yami's reaction. It was better to let him decide what that comment meant on his own. "But, there is only so much worry and panic can do for you and your loved one. Sometimes, you need to just place your faith in them, and stay strong, because if they are hurt when they return, they will need you to be as normal as before: for their sanity and their heart."

The spirit of the puzzle was looking at his feet, his eyes contemplative, and for the first time in months, his eyes were clear and held a purposeful gleam. _That's right pharaoh, come back to us all. Yugi's going to need your strength more than ever now. You are the one he's counting on to keep his world intact. It's time to start doing that._

The bell rang again, and from the sudden gasps Sugoroku knew his invitations had been accepted. "Well, hello Jonouchi, Anzu, and Honda." Sugoroku greeted with his usual grin. Jonouchi managed a lopsided smile, his greeting as warm as Sugoroku's had been.

"Hey Gramps, you said you needed some help. Is Yams that bad at watching the shop?"

"Jonouchi!" Anzu chided, elbowing him in the side sharply; her first reaction since walking into the room. When Jonouchi complained, dancing out of the way, as he would have before the accident, the wounded, glass-like image that Anzu carried healed just the slightest, allowing her to roll her eyes ad snort. "You shouldn't be so rude. But, why did you call us out here if you had Yami to help?" Anzu asked, now curious herself. She looked over at Yami, both hopeful and afraid of what she'd find, but it seemed the Pharaoh had yet to regain consciousness from the groups sudden entrance.

Honda snorted and turned away with an angered glare. It seemed he wasn't ready to forgive just yet, but the fact he had not stormed away yet was a good sign.

"Well, actually I called you here to help me restock the back. It's a big job and I have a meeting with Yoshimori." This brought everyone's attention around to him, even Honda's.

"… has he…?" Yami's question trailed off and seemed to reflect the other's thoughts.

"No, he's as stumped as he was when all of this began." Sugoroku said sadly when the kids slumped back into the sorry self-pitying moods they'd had before arriving. "But Arthur is flying out, seems to think he can help, and Rebecca is going to need some company, and we all know how much she _loves _Yami…" Sugoroku looked at the spirit hoping his jibe would help and not inflict more pain.

Yami seemed to fall back into himself, and just as Sugoroku was loosing hope, Jonouchi snickered.

"Yeah, if we leave her alone with him, she might just put him through electric-shock therapy or something." This comment brought a small laugh to Anzu's features.

"Jou's got a point." Anzu beamed, the image of her former-self glowing just below the pain in her eyes. "I guess I'll have to stay to keep Rebecca from frying both of you."

"Huh, what the hell's that supposed to mean, Anzu?" Jonouchi retaliated.

"You wouldn't understand her. She's a girl in love, and she has almost as much computer skills as Kaiba. She'd have you chained outside before nightfall."

"What?"

Yami's chuckle was unexpected, and drew the attention from the brewing fight to him. "Well, put it that way, and it looks like I could use all the help I can get."

"Yami." Anzu's voice was soft and happy. Seemed his strong smile was affecting everyone's mood, as Sugoroku had suspected.

"You're just now realizing this? Damn, your just lucky Gramps thought ahead." Jonouchi boasted, clapping Yami on the shoulder and jostling the spirit forward a bit. "We got to stick together against the female insanity."

"Want to say that again Jonouchi?"

"Eh-heh…"

"Guess I might as well stay too." Honda's statement was a bit of a shock. Sugoroku had half expected the boy to turn around a leave. _Seems I misjudged his strength. _

"Honda…" Yami's voice seemed to anger the brunette, and he shot the other a sharp glare, but Yami seemed to expect the look and excepted it, his face smoothing over into a passive look. "Thank you, you're help would be appreciated."

"Yeah, whatever." Honda griped, walking passed the group and into the back room. "Now, what needs to be done?"

The burnt bridges seemed to be repairing slightly. It would be a slow process and Sugoroku doubted that Honda and Yami would ever be able to fully repair the broken relationship between them, but it was an improvement. "Well, the boxes marked DM are Duel monster cards and need to be placed in the proper locations. They always seem to run out first, and tomorrow is that big city competition, so I get the feeling I'm going to need those set up first. I also need—" Sugoroku lead the group into the back room, listing off the needs of his shop, not really hearing his instructions himself. It was nice to see the kids working together again. It had been far too long a time since he'd seen them do anything but sulk. Arthur had been right again, Sugoroku was glad he'd called him.

"Well then, I'll leave you kids back here, I'm going to man the front, if you have any questions just come ask." The chorus of 'okays' was a pleasant sound to his ears, and he turned confidently towards the shop door when his arm was caught by Yami.

The once pharaoh met his gaze with a steady acceptance that had won Sugoroku's respect when he'd first met him. "Is there some thing you need, Yami?"

"No, I just…" A sigh. "Thank you, Mouto-san."

"You are welcome."

XXXX

The halls were dark, lit only by the valiant flickering of the torchlight upon the stone flooring and walls. The wind carried the stench of fear and death when it managed to sweep through the breeze way at all, and left a stale nothingness in its too often absence.

Yugi wondered what time it was, missing the heat the day used to give off. Now a thick cloak of black clouds covered the sky keeping the light of day hidden from view as the dark shadows wove through the world striking out with garish lightening, and crying out with angered thunder, but tears of rain had yet to fall. It disturbed Yugi more than the sudden fear and weariness that seemed to engulf the palace and all of Khemet. _So, this is what happens when the shadow realm is allowed to run free… no wonder Yami chose to sacrifice himself for his people. _Yugi shivered, uncomfortable with the dark brush of power that pulse around him. It was less intense than being in the shadow realm, but the closeness of the dark power still unnerved him.

_What's going to happen if we can't defeat Exodia?_ Yugi wondered as he quickened his pace down the halls, his feet making a silent slapping sound on the stone floor, his arms full with the scrolls Jonoh had given him to give to the Pharaoh. Seth had locked himself away in his room after the interrogation of the Romans, and had refused to come out until he had a solution. _I guess I'd hide too if my favorite shadow monster had been beaten to near death… poor Blue Eyes, I don't think I ever wished to see Kaiba beat anything with his favorite card as much as then. _Yugi thought still trembling at the memory.

Just after the quake, Atemu and Seth had run out of the palace to—where Yugi could only guess—the place where Exodia was supposed to be sealed. From what he could gather, a rather short battle had ensued in which the Blue Eyes White Dragon, and the Sky God Sypher had been destroyed within minutes, along with the village the battle had been nearest to.

Both the Pharaoh and the high Priest returned rather beaten and shame faced where they'd marched straight in the holding cells where the idiots responsible for such madness were being held.

_Yugi had managed to convince Mahado to let him wait in the entry hall for Atemu's return when the doors were thrown open as both men entered. Yugi's heart tightened painfully in his chest at the sight of his other. Atemu was covered in dust and there were several deep scraps across his face and arms. The once regal cape was now in tatters and was fraying badly near the bottom. Yugi stifled a gasp, his hands balling up just beneath his chin._

_ Jonoh ran past him on his right from where he'd been guarding the room, and it broke Yugi from his momentary status. "Atemu!" Yugi cried out, stumbling up to the man, his hands reaching up and cupping his face gently, gauging the severity of his wounds with his eyes._

_It wasn't that bad._

_ Muted ruby flickered to his concerned eyes, and Yugi felt his very soul ache at the pain and fear that was in that usually strong and stable gaze. The battle had not been won, and the living god had no idea on how to save his people. _

_ For a moment Yugi was lost, unsure of how to react, or how to comfort Atemu, and just stood there holding the other's face in a tender grasp. The angled eyes, outlined in kohl, changed slightly as he tried to hide his feelings behind that stoic mask of responsibility and pride, and that was when Yugi regained control of himself._

_ It was his turn to care for Atemu. It was time he acted like the pharaoh's ari: like Yami's aibou._

_ "Let's get you cleaned up. We have a lot to plan out and consider and you need to be in top condition to do so." Yugi stated in a soft, but very commanding voice. Atemu blinked at him, almost as though he was surprised at Yugi's strength, but the look didn't last long, replaced quickly with gratitude._

_ "I'm fine." Atemu said, his hands lifting to encase Yugi's wrist in a hand much larger and warmer than his. He kept his hand there a moment in a gentle caress that expressed his feelings before that hand forced Yugi to release him._

_ "Jonoh, I need to speak to the prisoners." Atemu commanded in the same cold voice Yugi remembered hearing on his first arrival to the palace. It made him shiver, memory stinging his eyes. It seemed like years ago that he'd thrown himself into Atemu's lap, sobbing and afraid, when in actuality it had only been three to four months._

To think we've come so far in so short a time…

_ Jonoh—who's hands where imitating Yugi's upon Seth's equally wounded face, his golden eyes filled with a kind worry Yugi had not expected to see on the guard, and definitely no toward the high priest—barely gave the pharaoh a glance as he nodded his head slightly, eyes continuing to bore into Seth's. "Of course, pr-aA." Jonoh replied, only releasing Seth's face when the stoic man had inclined his face into the caress just barely in reassurance. _

_ For a moment Yugi thought his jaw might fall off. _It's not really Jou and Kaiba… but…_ Yugi 's smirk died unborn as Atemu swept past him following the now normal Seth and Jonoh._

_ "Ah!" Yugi breathed trotting up to Atemu's side._

_ "Stay here, Yugi." Atemu commanded yet again, his voice sounding more tired than before. He would have obeyed, and almost did, had he not decided on his own to act the part of his title._

_ "No." Yugi' voice rang out sounding somehow different to his own ears, and the group halted mid step to look at him in ranging looks of incredulity, apprehension, and annoyance. Yugi pointedly ignored Seth._

_ "This is not a request, Yugi…"_

_ "I don't care if you're commanding me, this battle and problem concerns me as well. I will stay by your side to hear the answers of those who caused this mess." Yugi left no opening for argue, his eyes staring Atemu down as he'd done to save Jonoh's life._

_ Atemu looked away, too tired to fight. He didn't say a word as Jonoh continued to lead the way back into the underbelly of the palace._

_ Yugi realized then why it was Atemu had tried to make him stay behind, when he walked back through the nearly pitch halls of the prison he'd been in not so long before. Yugi swallowed, a little disturbed at being back there. The mental scars acting up to the familiar smells and sounds, but Yugi forced the panic back. At some point, Atemu had reached out, his fingers curling around Yugi's hand, and Yugi was grateful for the stability he gave._

_ "Ah, so the pharaoh comes to visit his guests. Tell me, how are you doing these days?" Pragus's slimy voice echoed fro one of the darker shadows in the stone and steel room. It caused Yugi's heart to flutter fearfully against his chest, but that was all. He knew that the room also held other occupants, he could sense them, but it was too dark to see who it was. "What's the matter, having trouble controlling your own power?"_

_ Atemu tensed by his side, and Yugi heard a distinct growl coming from Jonoh's vicinity. "So, it was your doing that awoke Exodia." Atemu concluded coldly, and was met with maniacal laughter._

_ "Oh, you just figured that out? The old Cesar gave you and your empire too much credit indeed if you can not even control one simple monster." Pragus taunted from the safety of his cage. Yugi wished for a moment he could throw the man into the chaos that Atemu had just escaped from, but his conscience quickly retuned to destroy him for thinking such cruel thoughts, even if the man deserved it._

_ "Who was stupid enough to unleash Exodia for you? I know none of your men possess the power to awaken him." Atemu was sounding almost unstable, and Yugi squeezed his hand hoping to help him; it seemed to have no affect._

_ "Why should I tell you? Perhaps he's still out there, and he may just destroy you yet. I'd rather die and have you join me in hell, than live and watch your empire survive this."_

_ Silence echoed in the room for several long moments before Atemu turned and stalked out of the room. Yugi followed wondering what Atemu was planning to do as the Roman's taunts followed them from the room._

_ "Give your lovely slave my regards. You may wish to try him out before you die, would be such a waste to let him die a virgin…"_

_ "Son of a—"_

_ "Jonoh." Seth, amazingly was the one to stop the guard from possibly beating the man into silence. "Don't be stupid."_

_ The head of the guard made no sound, brooding as they left the cells. Seth turned down another hall, his face a dark mask of false confidence. "I'll gather the rest of the high priests, and bring priest Akhennaden in to find out who it was that aided in this catastrophe. I'm sure the millennium eye will be of great aid to us now."_

Millennium eye? _Yugi thought, turning to watch as Seth walked away._

_ "Bring Isis too, I would like her to see if our future has already been decided." Atemu's voice sounded tired, and hopeless. Yugi looked toward his other but Atemu was turned away from him and was already walking toward his study._

That had been nearly two weeks ago, and thought Bakura had been named the foolish mortal who'd raised Exodia—and had been punished justly for it. Though how one took control of a soul was beyond Yugi, he had a good idea just what that punishment was—there was no end in sight for the battle.

_Who would have thought that Exodia would be such an evil card._ Yugi thought to himself, sifting the weight of the scrolls a little more, getting a better grip on them before continuing his search for Atemu. It seemed that was all he ever did anymore: Search for Yami's memory, search to find his soul, search for the blank and missing pieces of memory, search for the missing partner, look for the Pharaoh, bring him to the meeting, take these scrolls of allegiances to Atemu.

Yugi's breath of air blew his bangs up and off his face for a minute. _I wish Anuksu was still around… at least then I'd have someone to try and lift my mood. But, I guess Iba's sick sister is a little more important._

Since Exodia's escape, the sun had refused to rise and the chill night progressed through the day causing sickness to spread rapidly. Anuksu had left the palace not long after when a fellow dancer, Iba, had received word that her family had fallen ill, and her sister was not expected to survive. Yugi hoped the word was wrong, too many had already died, what with Exodia's destruction.

It seemed impossible for one shadow monster to be able to wipe out an entire village in a day, but it seemed that Yugi had greatly underestimated the darkness of the shadows.

_To think, the shadows were created just as doom had been… and the shadow monsters the evil that resides in souls. _Yugi thought, remembering the brief lesson Jonoh had given him when Atemu had locked himself in his private room.

_"Exodia is the evil soul of a man whose name had been erased long ago." Jonoh said, his voice sounding clipped. "He was also one of the first to be sealed away, but it cost our dear pr-aA his life."_

_ "…pr-aA?" Yugi asked, a little worried, and glanced toward the door behind the throne nervously._

_ "Yes, pr-aA Akhenamkhanen. He was pr-aA Atemu's father." Jonoh said with a regret filled voice. "I do not know who it was who originally sealed Exodia away, but some time ago there was an influx in the shadows, that Akhenamkhanen could not suppress, so in the end, he undertook a ritual of sacrifice at the gate to Apep's temple: Exodia's resting place."_

_ Yugi looked back over his shoulder again, a new pain and understanding flooding him. He knew the pain of loosing a father, and sympathized with Atemu. "Does he know?"_

_ "Yes, and no. He knows his father died for Khemet, but he does not know that his soul is not at rest." Jonoh answered rather sadly._

_ "Then how do you…?"_

_ "Seth."_

_ "Oh."_

_ Neither said much after that. Just listened to the worried cries that echoed from the outside. Atemu's speech to his people had not gone well. He'd warned them all to remain inside, that the shadows who were loyal would be guarding the streets until a solution was reached. That seemed to only further frighten the people, but there was not much else that could be done. _

_ "Do you know what it was Exodia had done while alive?" Yugi asked after some time. Jonoh looked at him funny for several minutes before seeming to understand Yugi's question._

_ "The man who Exodia was expelled from has been forgotten. No one is sure anymore, but with the strength of his evil… it must have been an act against the gods themselves."_

The study was empty, so was the throne room. There was only one other option that Yugi knew of aside from the gardens. He hoped Atemu was there and not outside. Yugi had seen the maps, and understood enough of Atemu's conversation to know that Exodia's tomb was in reality only a day's ride from the palace. That wasn't a very reassuring thought when the safety of a loved one was at stake.

The halls echoed eerily with the sound of distant thunder, and glowed brightly with a sharp flash of lightening, but still no rain fell. _It wouldn't be so scary if there was rain. I could pretend it was nothing more than a storm if there was only some rain. _Yugi's desperate thoughts helped to calm him a little as he passed into the hall where Atemu's rooms were.

The door was partially ajar as he approached, and Yugi wondered if he'd just missed him. Peeking in through the opening, Yugi found the room to be occupied. With a slow sigh of relief, Yugi nudged the door open and slipped in.

The room was a mess, papyrus scattered around the bed chamber like poor wallpaper, the bed was a mess from that morning. Yugi sighed remembering how the morning had started.

_The warm security of the arms was a balm to his nerves. At least here under the soft blankets, with the warm, smooth, skin against his own, strong and stable around his waist, he was safe. There was no impending war outside the gossamer curtains, and the man who held him close was not falling apart at the seams. _

_ Yugi let his eyes drift open slowly, looking over the expanse of golden skin that covered the chest he rested upon, listening to the steady beat of that treasured heart. Atemu had fallen into bed that night, exhausted and weary. He'd even skipped bathing and Yugi had had to remove his golden attire as Atemu had already fallen into a light doze. _

_ Yugi reached up, careful not to wake the slumbering man, and pushed his fingers through the soft hair. Asleep he looked peaceful, almost childlike in his youth. It was like looking at his Yami. Yugi smiled sadly, placing a tender kiss to Atemu's shoulder and snuggled close, breathing him in. The smell of the desert breeze assaulted his senses, and relaxed him. Yes, here everything was perfect. Everything was…_

_ The door crashed open and jostled Atemu awake abruptly. Yugi felt his jump and the muscles tense. He seemed confused by the weight on his chest, as he had every morning since Yugi had began sleeping by his side, but he quickly relaxed, his arms embracing Yugi gently in a brief greeting that was all too short for Yugi._

_ "Mahado, what has happened?"_

_ "Exodia's moved again."_

_ Yugi felt tension in that body he held, and bit his lip wishing it away._

_ "What area?" Atemu asked, already aware that it was too late. Mahado answered in a muted voice that Yugi blocked out by listening to the painful throb of his lovers heart, and then he was pulling way and gone, leaving Yugi to trail after._

Yugi sighed and dropped the scrolls in the nearest open space, and moved to make the bed. Atemu had yet to move from his place on the balcony. Yugi could see his position from the bed, and tried to stifle the hurt he felt at seeing such a strong man look so defeated.

Atemu's head was angled down, braced by his hands, he'd removed his cloak and jewelry leaving him in his white night wrap, held in place by his colored belt wrapped around his waist. He was barefoot, and the gold bands had been removed leaving him looking fragile against the black backdrop of the city.

"Seth wanted me to bring you the lists of the other empires most likely to help." Yugi said, settling the sheets and fluffing the pillows. Atemu remained silent behind the shifting curtains. Yugi paused in the bed making, letting one of the pillows drop to the center of the bed with a soft sound. He didn't like the silence, it was worse than anything else Yugi could think of. Even the wind that came in through the balcony was quiet, like the soft whisper of death. It unnerved Yugi and made his skin crawl. _I used to think he night was scary… I guess fear of the dark really is childish. It's the dark shadows that are the real meaning of fear. _Yugi had the absurd image of himself jumping at his shadow on the streets of downtown domino, and shook his head to dispel it.

The wind was stale on his face as he walked out and beside Atemu. It tangled his hair and skimmed his skin in a breathless caress. Down below he could see dim points of light from the torches the guards had set through out the city for the people, the shadows had all but muted them out. Walking the streets, like intimidating curfew cops, were several shadow monsters. Yugi recognized several as being loyal to the crown. Syfer and Blue Eyes were not among them.

"The people are becoming restless with their fear, as well they should be." Atemu stated, his voice sounding painfully hallow. "Their god can do nothing to help them as this creature stalks the land turning entire villages into dust at his passage."

Yugi wasn't sure what to say to that. It was true, they both knew it, but still Yugi wanted to cheer him up. Yet he knew words like, 'it's not your fault," or 'It'll be okay,' would only make things worse. He chewed on his lower lip, watching the never ending darkness with sad eyes. He'd never wished to go home more than he did at that moment. It was running away yes, but he couldn't help it. It was that irrational: 'if I close my eyes I'll wake up back in my room with nothing wrong, and this war will be nothing more than a nightmare, and all this pressure, guilt and horror will just dissipate into thin air,' thought that plagued his thoughts and haunted his mind as each blackened day began.

_Hell, I'd settle for waking up in this time, just so long as this was all over._

"They expected me to protect them…" Atemu was looking out at the ruin his beautiful world had succumbed to, and Yugi wanted to reach over and cover those expressive eyes, to just block out all the bad from his expressive ruby eyes, but just like with Doom, he knew he couldn't. This was Atemu's battle, Yugi couldn't just will it away.

"You know, the world seems to continue on this never ending cycle of pain, and that pain just builds and builds until the world can no longer handle it. Then this hero emerges and pays the ultimate price just to relieve the world from this nightmare it created itself."

Atemu's face had scrunched up in contemplation to his statement, and Yugi sighed deeply, leaning on the stone railing and looking up into the black clouds as though looking for stars. "Yami had to face the embodiment of that pain not too long ago. It was called Doom, and this man named Dartz was behind it all." Yugi began, his eyes tracing the clouds to keep himself steady. Some of those memories were still to painful to face yet. "He wanted to destroy the world I guess, and so he began dueling with this card called the "Oracle Curse," any player who initiated this card increased his power by drawing out all the evil and darkness in his heart."

Atemu looked up then, his eyes concerned and confused. Yugi knew he'd only briefly mentioned the subject of duel monsters to him, but he seemed to understand that part, but Yugi was certain it was the subject of the card that had him alarmed.

"Sounds stupid and worthless, but it almost worked. In fact, in one battle Yami even fell victim to this card." Yugi said with a sad look.

Atemu stood up straighter, his look insulted and angered, but he said nothing, waiting for Yugi to continue. _At least he's distracted from his own problems right now…_ Yugi thought with a rueful smile.

"It was the only option he had at the time. That and he had something to prove. You see, when this card is played, whoever loses the battle also loses their soul. Yami and I both agreed not to play it, until our opponent started calling Yami evil, and too afraid to face his own darkness.

"Yami, fell for it and used the card. It separated our minds and he made several bad mistakes, the darkness that he contained clouding his thoughts." Yugi spoke quietly, but rounded on Atemu quickly, catching the self-depreciating look in his eyes and realized that Atemu was only aware of the fact that this was what he would one-day do. "But, it wasn't his fault! I mean he was locked away in the shadow realm for three thousand years, he was also you before that. A ruler, one who takes the pain of an entire nation onto himself, so of course the darkness in his heart would be greater than most. And to top it all off, he still had no memory of this time, meaning he had no real way of controlling the darkness." Yugi looked away again, his hand fisting on the rough stone. "Anyway, he lost, and he was going to lose his soul, he was just standing there waiting for it. Shocked and angry with himself for it, and I realized that he was the only one who could possibly save the world."

"Yugi…" Atemu's voice was airy, and Yugi's grip slackened. He already knew what was coming next, and was trying to deny it.

"It only needed one of us…" There was a curse from Atemu and Yugi didn't have the heart to look at him. "I feel like I betrayed him then. I mean I left him all alone to face every one of his insecurities and fears, but I really had no other choice, and you know what?" Yugi said, with a bright smile, facing the pharaoh of Khemet.

Atemu inclined his head in question, and Yugi beamed back, hoping that this might console him even if only a little.

"He won, just like I thought he would. It looked hopeless, but so long as there are people, there is hope, and hope is what keeps life going. I mean, Yami took all the evil of the world into his own heart in the end there… and I wasn't even allowed to help him… but he did it, and he's fine. He can over come anything…" Yugi said more to himself then anything else, and didn't see the jealous look that crossed Atemu's face. "If he could do it then, its only because you did it here and now." Yugi tried to reassure, and laughed a bit to break the stagnate silence. "Even if he does have some reoccurring amnesia on several things. I mean he never once said anything about meeting me in his—"

The sudden, crushing kiss startled Yugi silent as Atemu's hands suddenly grabbed his upper arms, his fingers biting into his skin painfully, and he was backed up roughly against the railing, demanding lips forcing his to part as a greedy tongue swept in to claim his mouth.

"ntk nt wi." Atemu breathed against Yugi's lips, as he pulled back for breath before resealing his lips to Yugi's this time a little more coaxing. Atemu's hand had risen up to the back of Yugi's head, his fingers curling into his hair to keep him still. Yugi's eyes widened, and he trembled, but from fear or excitement, Yugi wasn't certain.

Teeth nipped on his lips dragging one between his own to suckle on it. The tip of his tongue tracing the soft skin and soothing Yugi into his attention. Yugi's eyes slid lazily closed at the passionate kiss, his fingers resting questioningly against Atemu's chest. They had kissed several times before since the night he'd come to terms with his feelings, but not since the bath incident had Atemu acted to demanding. The forcefulness made Yugi's toes curl, while at the same time made him worry.

_What made him snap? Why is he acting like this?_

Atemu's breath was hot as he exhaled through his nose, pressing closer, one leg slipping between Yugi's own, trapping Yugi to the railing. Yugi grunted, as the sandstone bit into his skin harshly, and slowly Atemu seemed to come out of his daze.

"… Yugi… I…" Atemu pulled away, his eyes narrowed in distaste as he retreated back to the railing, avoiding eye contact with Yugi all together. "I did not mean to startle you… I was… out of line."

Yugi blinked, still slumped against the railing, his lips tingling from those bruising kisses, taking in the guilty form of the pharaoh. _He really hasn't changed at all. Well, Yami can at least apologize now… but, he still is Atemu in many ways. _A slow warmth started to build in Yugi's chest as his thoughts came together, making sense for the second time since his arrival. _Yami is Atemu, and Atemu is Yami. I love who he will become, just as I love who he was… huh, I really am stupid, aren't I Anuksu? I was so willing to admit that you and Anzu were nearly the same… but I had to split the person I love into two pieces. The future and the past…I really am a fool…_

Atemu's brow was creased again with his worries, and his fingers bit into the railing harshly. His face was lined with stress, and his form was weary, he needed comfort now more than anything. Yugi blushed, and swallowed back his apprehension.

Could he do this? Was he strong enough to take this step that had plagued him since before his arrival? Atemu sighed and lowered his head. Yes, he could do this, and he would.

Atemu jerked slightly at Yugi's tender touch, and looked down at him startled. "Yugi… what is—"

"wi mr ntk, p3y-i pr-Aa." Yugi whispered, his breath brushing and pushing against Atemu's own exhalation, and watched as those dark crimson eyes widened in understanding. Yugi smiled, unbelievably calm in having admitting his feelings aloud. He'd always thought confessing would be infinitely embarrassing to him, but it seemed that wasn't true. "…mr wi? S-htp, Atemu, mr wi." Yugi's heart fluttered in his ears and the anxiousness swelled in his throat, as he wondered just how Atemu would respond. It wasn't exactly fear that he felt, he believed in Atemu, in Yami, too much to fear rejection, it was more like the tension one feels when waiting for one to return home and say, "I'm home" after having been gone fore years.

Atemu's eyes seemed to burn with an emotion Yugi had seen only twice and it burnt him pleasantly down to his toes. With out waiting for Atemu's consent, Yugi leaned forward, standing up on his tiptoes, his fingers gliding up Atemu's chest feeling that carmled skin under his palms, and pressed his lips imploringly upon Atemu's own.

"Love me… please…" Yugi purred, as his lips pressed to Atemu in an innocent kiss that begged to be shown passion. Atemu barely reacted at first, his hands rising to his waist, as if expecting some trap, but when Yugi only sighed at the contact, Atemu yanked that soft body flush to his own, his lips turning greedy once more, and Yugi let himself fall placid in those arms. Atemu's kiss was tainted with a bitter sadness that Yugi wished he could erase, and maybe he could. He urged the kiss to deepen, fingers curling against Atemu's shoulders and drawing him closer still. _Don't worry so much, we'll think of something… you're world will be saved. Just love me for now… it'll all be okay. _Yugi thought a little distantly. _Let me take away your pain... please._ Yugi knew Atemu couldn't hear his thoughts, not like Yami could, yet it almost seemed he did as his kiss turned a little more heated.

"ntk nt wi…" Atemu breathed into Yugi parted lips, claiming him completely, and Yugi smiled, arms wrapping around Atemu's neck, fingers threading through Atemu's hair.

"Always…" Was his breathy reply, and he was suddenly swept up into strong arms and carried into the fire lit room.

_I love you… I love you…_

XXXX

Yugi words burned him from the inside, lighting his desire and pushing all other thoughts from his mind. Yugi had asked him, _begged _him to make love to him. Atemu's insides shook with the power of his lust, and love.

He'd lifted Yugi into his arms without a second thought as soon as Yugi had allowed him to lay his claim. Yugi was his, he'd said so, and now he was going to lay his claim.

He was careful as he set Yugi down upon the silk sheets of his bed, resting Yugi's head upon the soft pillows, their lips parting from their deep kiss long enough for him to climb above Yugi.

His bangs fell down obscuring his view of Yugi's face if only a little, as the pale slave rested below him, hands curled up around his rounded face, looking so tantalizing, Atemu almost lot it right then and there. This was what he'd been wanting for so long, since Yugi first danced for him, and those thoughts came rushing back to him then.

_ Yugi dressed in that pale dancing costume, writhing beneath him, rolling and arching as he cried out in pleasure, his face flushed with sinful need and begging Atemu to release him from his passionate torment. _

Those thoughts had kept his body burning long after Yugi's dance had ended, and still warmed his blood as the small light now rested trustingly below him, wanting his physical love, as much he wanted Yugi's soft body.

_Looks like I will claim him after all… _

Atemu smirked, inwardly gloating over his conquest and mentally taunting his achievement before Pragus's face. He wouldn't soil their encounter by actually doing it, but mentally he ripped the man's ego apart as his hands slipped along the smooth skin of Yugi's chest and sides.

Yugi's skin was unbelievably warm and smooth under his own, and Atemu spent several long moments just caressing that skin he'd been allowed to look at day after day, and recently been able to touch, but this time he worshiped that flesh.

"Let's begin." Atemu said, eyes half-lidded in pleasure, and enjoyed the tremble that took over Yugi's body. He had always been so sensitive and vocal, this was going to be very enjoyable.

Yugi gasped as Atemu's finger passed over his nipple, and the skin pebbled instantly beneath his curious fingertip. He let his finger skim over he sensitive skin playfully, tracing the lines of his upper torso, in a sense memorizing Yugi's body.

The small indent from the hallow in his throat that ended in his clavicle, only to pick back up as a gentle fuzz, not visible but felt that lead to his small belly button. Yugi squirmed a bit as his fingertip ran over his hip, following the cloth that kept him clothed. _He's tender there… _Atemu noticed, laying his palms flush to the skin and running them back up, lifting Yugi's arms up to trail the skin there, until his palms were pressed against Yugi's, fingers woven together in a gentle hold.

Yugi had flushed with color again, and Atemu allowed his lips to caress that color. Yugi made a soft pleasing coo at the gentle kiss Atemu placed to his heated cheeks. The kiss was tender, loving and nearly innocent as he skimmed along that pale body, hands slipping from Yugi's—fingertips trailing lines over Yugi's palms and sensitive wrists bringing a delightful tremble from that body—to caress the skin just ahead of his descending lips.

"Ah… please…" Yugi breathed from parted lips, eyes closed in pleasure, and Atemu smirked, parting his lips to lick Yugi's cheek in parting as his fingers once more ghosted over his pale neck leaving room for his mouth to follow.

His insides burned pleasantly at the soft noises Yugi made under him as his kisses met his chin. Yugi arched slightly at the feel, pressing close to Atemu's boy creating delightful tingles over his body. Atemu pressed back, his leg parting Yugi's and pressed against Yugi's need.

Again Yugi made that soft pleased sound and rubbed against Atemu's thigh, at the same time rubbing his own leg against Atemu's own desire. Atemu grunted, mouth opening more as he scrapped Yugi's collarbone with his teeth, tongue soothing the abuse quickly, his hands dropping quickly to Yugi's chest feeling his heart flutter under his hands. Yugi whimpered, arms staying in place beside his head, quaking with his will to keep them there.

Atemu smirked, rising up once more to steal a sweet kiss from Yugi's lips, his fingers pinching the tender, aroused nipples on Yugi's chest pulling moans and squeals from the small figure under him. He delighted in their taste as he swallowed the sounds his mouth muffled, his tongue teasing the edge of Yugi's inner lips, barely grazing his teeth. He pulled back and away as Yugi attempted to control the kiss, his own tongue sweeping out to gain a deeper satisfying kiss. Yugi made a soft whine when he was denied, and Atemu kissed him quickly to pacify that sound, but no more deeply than before.

"Shh, Yugi, my light… akhu…" Atemu breathed into his skin as he sank lower, kissing the soft skin on hi chest in slow lingering caresses, the tip of his tongue taking the time to draw designs on such perfect skin.

"Ah! Ate—nah!" Yugi again arched, his hands wrenching off of the bed to pull alongside his face, as Atemu found yet another tender spot on his ari. He purposefully gave a slower kiss to the skin nearest to his right armpit, and bathed in the noise Yugi made, his feet twitching lightly. Atemu smirked and pulled his leg more firmly against Yugi feeling the stiffness down there and taking pride that it was because of him that the innocent one was so worked up.

The Pharaoh, placed a kiss over Yugi's heart, his fingers trailing down and away from the taunt, red, nipples. He could feel the muscles in Yugi's stomach tense and trembled under his soft strokes, and his body tightened with each little movement. _So perfect… Yugi, even your near motionlessness is a dance to my senses… _Atemu thought a little delirious from his high. The smell of the distant seas surrounded him in a thick blanket as a light sweat broke out across Yugi's skin, enhancing the musk of the boy.

Atemu groaned, needy, and rolled his hips down and against Yugi's propped leg. A sharp burst of heat sparked in his belly, and he was certain Yugi felt it too as he stiffened, his breath escaping as a high pitched whine.

"So sensitive…" Atemu purred, his left hand leaving Yugi's side in favor of Yugi's free leg. The skin was soft there too, and he smoothed his hand up that leg feeling it tremble as he bypassed the cloth that covered his upper thigh, drawing hieroglyphs there laying claim to that soft untouched flesh.

"Ah… Ah! Oh god…" Yugi whimpered, and Atemu lowered his burning mouth to Yugi's neglected nipple. The dancer shot off the bed sharply. Hands tangling into Atemu's hair, fingernails scraping his scalp as the pale one trembled from the shock. "Kami-sama!"

Atemu froze a moment, not used to such extreme reactions but decided that it pleased him, and he opened his mouth further, suckling on Yugi's chest, his tongue outlining the nub and memorizing the heartbeat that thundered against his lips. _Mine… you are all mine, Yugi. I will not give you to anyone, not even the me in the future…_ Atemu thought, his hand slipping further up Yugi's leg until he felt the hard erection he'd been searching for. His gentle brush sent Yugi into convulsions against him, his body heating more, and sweat flavored the skin, Atemu devoured.

"Ah!" Yugi panted, trembling and shaking from the intense shock. With a gentle push, Atemu easily pressed him back against the sheets pinning him once more, his searching fingers slow and teasing on Yugi's straining flesh. A little nip to Yugi's nipple gave Atemu the freedom of his head as shock left Yugi's grip slack.

"Yugi…" Atemu breathed over Yugi's skin, kissing his soft belly in praise, as Yugi's hips rocked continuously into Atemu's fingers. Inexperience making him adorably alluring, Atemu was pleased that Yugi had not lost himself yet, but from that lap dance he'd been given in the throne room not so long ago, Atemu was sure that, if played right, Yugi could hold out till the end. "Sweet Yugi…" Atemu chuckled, as that belly quivered under his hot breath.

"Uh… Atemu… you… tease, stop… teas—ah!" Yugi moaned again as Atemu decided Yugi was talking too much and sealed his greedy lips over the indentation on Yugi's middle.

Those sweet amethyst eyes bugged open, and a breathy mewl escaped kiss swollen lips. Yugi arched, his head tilting back to a painful angle into the pillows, his fingers latching onto Atemu's shoulders, bit into the skin painfully, but it only made Atemu moan, sending delicious vibrations over Yugi's belly.

_Let me own you, Yugi. Let me keep you…_ Atemu thought his own eyes drifting shut as he assaulting the bellybutton. His tongue sought the edges of the scar, dipping in to play and map the skin there, tasting the lingering tang of salt on his damp skin. Yugi continued to make pleasured sounds, head thrashing from side to side as Atemu slowly tilted his head to different angles, nose and chin pressing into the tender belly as he made love to that small indentation. Yugi seemed to enjoy the attention given to his belly, so Atemu kept his attentative lips there as his hands slowly unknotted Yugi's wrap, removing the cumbersome cloth without much hassle.

Atemu grunted in displeasure as he realized that Yugi's undergarments were going to give him more trouble. Deciding on the easiest method of removing the garments, Atemu left Yugi's belly with a parting nip, sliding his body gratefully, feeling the soft skin cling to his chest as he pushed his other leg between Yugi's, spreading him wide as his lips once more met Yugi's in a gratifying kiss.

Yugi collapsed easily to his lips and it was an easy maneuver to roll Yugi on top, where he attacked the sides of the annoying cloth quickly pulling it down and off of Yugi's hips. The odd fabric scraped the tender skin gently as Atemu pulled it over creamy hips and ivory thighs. Yugi gasped at the sensation, the sound quickly swallowed by Atemu. For a moment, Yugi froze over him as his last undergarment was laying in a pile by his knees, Atemu's hands holding the clothing.

Atemu calmed his kisses turning them gentle and loving. His lips a smooth brush against Yugi's, skin clinging to skin barely sharing the inner taste of the mouth with the other. Yugi sighed and sank easily back into the embrace much to Atemu's relief and aided Atemu in the removal of his undergarments. As soon as the colored cloth was in a heap on his floor, Atemu rolled again pinning a nude Yugi to the bed. He pulled back for breath, and took in the beautiful sight that was before him, laid out so perfectly for him.

Yugi's body tensed beneath his skin, Atemu could see the muscles working, and smiled. "Don't be ashamed, my light. You too are a god if you are a part of my soul." Atemu purred, nuzzling the side of Yugi's face, placing soft kisses wherever his lips could find purchase.

It was the silken glide of fingers that stalled him long enough for Yugi to move. Yugi moved his mouth up to Atemu's ear, his gliding breath sensitizing the skin as lips kissed the soft spot behind his ear. Atemu groaned, shivering at the sensation. Yugi quickly moved on, following the motions Atemu had made over his own body: fingers tracing the way for his lips to follow.

The scalding burn of Yugi's mouth on his chest nearly undid him, and Atemu quickly clasped the small figure to him, pulling him back into the submissive position, his legs sliding between pale moonlight. His cotton wrap slipped free to pool around them, and it was only then that Atemu noticed Yugi's fingers had moved lower than his lips had had chance to.

"My quick little one… you unsatisfied with my pace?" Atemu taunted, mind pleasantly covered in a passionate haze, all other problems far from it.

Yugi attempted to look bashful, but the small tilt to his lips gave him away. "Well then, I'll have to move more quickly." Atemu sealed his claim with a hard demanding kiss that trapped Yugi to him. While Yugi was distracted he slipped a hand free dipping his first two fingers into the oil lap beside the bed—the only one not lit—until the slick fluid coated them.

Shifting his head for a deeper kiss, Atemu moved his dry hand to Yugi's member, gently stroking the straining flesh. Yugi moaned, arms tangling around his body, nails dragging over flesh, and hips moving in a rolling motion into Atemu's hand. Content with Yugi's distraction, Atemu moved his other hand down to Yugi's opening.

The first brush went unnoticed. Pleased, Atemu started a slow massaging stroke to the tight ring of muscle, working the oil into the skin, urging it to loosen. Yugi made a sound of discomfort and tried to break the kiss, his head moving to look down. Atemu attempted to keep him occupied, and it worked, Yugi taking joy in pillaging the hot mouth of the pharaoh, but when Atemu attempted to press his fingertip inside, Yugi jerked his mouth away with a startled cry.

"Atemu! Wha—"

"Hush, little one." Atemu eased the fear away with gentle nips on Yugi's neck. "I don't wish to hurt you, so you need to let me prepare you."

Yugi made an odd sound to that, and shifted uneasily, his hands curling more surely around is neck, face burying into his neck. Atemu stilled, moving his free arm up from Yugi's manhood to hold Yugi in a hug. "Little one, if you tense this part will hurt." _Or so I've hear from Seth…_

"… just… give me a second." Yugi breathed, holding Atemu closer, and the Pharaoh relaxed, allowing his light to cuddle to him, reasserting himself. Atemu remained quite as Yugi breathed against him. He did not ask if Yugi were certain, ad he would not ask if Yugi had changed his mind. It had been Yugi who had asked for this, and Atemu did not feel like waiting anymore. He had Yugi's consent; he was going to make love to Yugi. Besides the pharaoh asks for nothing, though he still waited a bit for Yugi to adjust.

"I am going to move now." Atemu warned and was pleased when Yugi only sighed, his body remaining relaxed.

"Kiss me?" Yugi asked, and Atemu smiled, giving Yugi what he wanted. He allowed Yugi to control the kiss, deciding the deepness of the contact, letting him to vent whatever stress he held into their mouths, as he pushed his finger into Yugi's body.

Yugi breath hitched, and the muscles clamped down with such force that it forced Atemu to stop. He shivered at the hot tightness that surrounded his finger, and his body tensed in anticipation of being in there. Yugi's lips faltered so Atemu drew him into a drugging kiss, his free hand drift over Yugi's sides, touching his sensitive places, dragging the pleasure from him. Slowly, Atemu moved his finger in circles easing his body and slowly stretching him. As Yugi relaxed Atemu moved the finger in a little deeper pausing to let his body adjust before moving on. Before long he had two fingers up and inside Yugi's trembling body, scissoring them back and forth.

Yugi was gasping again, his mouth pressed to Atemu's shoulder unable to keep the kisses at the intense new feelings as Atemu touched his prostate every so often. A light sweat glistened on Yugi's skin, matching his own as he removed his fingers from Yugi's entrance.

Yugi arched a little and whimpered, but a swift kiss silenced him. Atemu paused to look down on Yugi, memorizing the flushed features, the love bite that littered his pale skin and felt his insides tense. This was real, finally this was his.

Laying down upon that tiny body—bodies sliding together sweat mingling, hearts beating in unison—Atemu positioned himself at Yugi's entrance. His other hand curled around Yugi's hip sliding over Yugi's thigh to his knee and back up. Slowly he gained Yugi's attention, and those expressive eyes were trained on him.

Without words he warned him, and watched the understanding nod that Yugi gave him as he lay back, arms resting by his head. "Ink n –k." Yugi breathed, and Atemu groaned pushing himself in.

XXXX

The pressure was a burning sensation that stung and Yugi bit his lip to keep from crying out. It really wasn't that bad. The fingers had felt weird and the slick feeling up inside him was odd, but after Atemu had started moving it had felt good. So this couldn't be much different.

Atemu hissed, his eyes rolling back up and into his head with pleasure and the look relit the fire in Yugi's stomach. _This is just like my dream… _Yugi thought distantly, as his body stretched to accommodate each inch of Atemu's member.

It felt huge inside of him, and Yugi swallowed a gasp as Atemu paused pulling out, only to push back in, sliding deeper than before. The movement was nice giving his body time to adjust and it lessened the pain he felt. For a jealous moment Yugi wondered how Atemu had learned that, but soon forgot as Atemu pushed in, his hips resting against Yugi's buttocks, his desire nestled firmly inside Yugi.

"Set srf…" Atemu growled, his whole form quaking with restraint. Yugi felt his heart warm at the action, only able to imagine what Atemu must be feeling, and having the feeling he was every lucky that Atemu was waiting for him.

His own body still thrummed with light pain and heat. His erection had waned a bit at the pain, but his body was still tingling with pleasured shocks and Yugi lifted his hands—that amazingly stayed by his head, though his fingers had cramped from clinging to the bed sheets—and caressed Atemu's cheek, bringing those amazing crimson eyes to his own. "Aishiteru…" Yugi whispered, kissing those lips and moving his hips against Atemu's in a casual roll. The intense sensations sent him falling onto his back with a moan, and caused Atemu to jerk his hips against Yugi, shoving just a little deeper.

"Ah!"

"Hng, akhu…" Atemu's hands gripped onto Yugi's hips with enough force to hurt. Yugi's breath hitched as he lay beneath his lover, body still in a daze as Atemu attempted to keep control and not screw him into the bed, though at the moment Yugi wanted him to do just that. His body was starting to ache from staying so still. Yugi wasn't certain if that was a good or bad thing, but he didn't feel like playing safe.

He squirmed again, and Atemu grunted, pushing him back down. "Hold still…"

"Then move." Yugi growled back, running his hands down Atemu's sweaty back and placing pressure on his lower back for emphasis. For a moment that seemed all too long for Yugi, Atemu looked down on him in surprise. Then, he smiled, and nodded shoving his hips forward in a grinding motion that sent sparks dancing through Yugi's mind.

"You asked." Was the only warning Yugi had before Atemu began the motions to undo him: the gentle rocking one body into another.

Silk sheets clung to his damp and heated skin, as warm hands smoothed up and over his sides holding his hips daringly, fingers biting into skin as the hips of the owner of those hands, held pale thin legs spread wide.

Atemu's member was buried deep inside of him, thick and hot, and Yugi was incapable of movement, his mind lost in the heated passion and pleasurable pain that engulfed his body completely. He shook, as the other pressed low against him, sliding out of his tight opening just a little, and Yugi moaned, arching his back and lips moved to claim his sensitized neck.

A bolt of tingling longing ran from the contact point to his skull and then down through his shoulder and back, forcing a whimper of need from him, and the man atop of him smiled, lips skimming over the sweaty flesh, teeth nipping him gently as he moved to whisper into Yugi's ear, his voice husky with lust and desire.

"Beautiful… ari, so tight… antyw akhu biAw… ntk nt wi… nDS mrwt…" The lips brushed by his earlobe, pausing to suckle the skin on the appendage lovingly, moaning as he pressed his tanned body to Yugi's, shifting and pumping gently inside of his body.

Yugi cried out, feeling the friction deep inside, as he was filled by his lover's gentle rocking. His insides stretching to hold the other's large size, and he gasped, eyes opening wide and holding passionate crimson, as the regal face moved to capture his lips, a smooth tongue sliding in to taste him. The body began to move more purposefully now, pulling back so that Yugi could feel the slip of those sweaty hips on his thighs as the member inside of him slipped out. Then, with a sharp jerk, he was sliding in once more, filling Yugi and creating a friction that he desired.

Lips parted and Yugi heard his name, whispered lovingly between them as his lover slammed back into him, causing Yugi's body to bounce slightly.

"Ah!" Yugi cried out, his mind going blank, as that heated mouth moved back to his ear, whispering huskily into it, "Call my name sweet one…"

"pr-aA…"

His lover groaned, pumping into him several times, his hand holding Yugi's hips prisoner in his grip. "No… my name… Yugi… my name…"

"Yami." Yugi sighed, lovingly starting to tremble at not being free to press himself down onto his moving partner. He felt the body above his own fall back atop of him, the thrusts low and loving.

Yugi was crying out as his prostate was hit each time and he writhed on the bed beneath the man above, and once more the other grunted out his demand, his breath hot on Yugi's ear. "Say my name… akhu…"

Atemu suddenly slammed in hard, and Yugi bucked off the bed, arms and legs twining around the other's form in desperation as he cried into the dark room, the name that his other desired to hear most.

"Atemu!" Yugi's mind went white for a moment as his body was wrapped in new tingling sensations, so close to release but still not close enough. Atemu still moved against him, slow and steady, it drove Yugi mad the pace that the pharaoh set. It felt so good, but Yugi wanted more, he desperately craved the harsh friction that Atemu was currently denying him, and so he tried to move himself upon his lover, angling his hips against that taunt lower belly and attempting to press onto him at a fast clip.

Atemu groaned in his ear, his teeth fastening on Yugi shoulder, biting down gently. Yugi trembled at the feel as those fingers tightened enough to leave bruises on his pale hips.

Yugi smirked, and repeated the action, this time, tensing his body to squeeze Atemu from the inside. "Ah!" Yugi cried, falling lip at the sudden bolt of pure pleasure that coursed through him, radiating straight down t the tips of his toes and fingers. He'd felt every inch of Atemu in that one moment and it was a near overload to his senses. "God… Atemu…" Yugi panted, his heart thundering in his ears, and almost didn't notice as Atemu unbound his arms from around his neck, and his legs from Atemu's waist.

"Wha?" Yugi panted, only to gasp a moment later, as Atemu hitched his legs up so that the crook of his elbows supported the underside of his knees. This forced Atemu in just a little deeper and Yugi cried out, trembling, hands reaching back up to hold Atemu, only to be stopped half way.

Long fingers curled with Yugi's own and forced his hands back down to the sweat dampened silk that rested beside his head. Yugi audibly swallowed, and mewled a little at the feeling of helplessness and utter protection that Atemu gave him in that single act.

"mn. Ir nn StA, Yugi… p3y-i Heba." Atemu purred, nuzzling the side of Yugi's neck and rolling his hips just enough to be felt. Yugi gasped and whimpered, shaking beneath Atemu. The Pharaoh's pleased smirk, annoyed Yugi a little and he angled his head up to nip the skin on the side of Atemu's neck.

Atemu bucked against him, causing both of them to moan in ecstasy. Atemu's hands tightened around his own, and he gasped for breath against Yugi's ear causing Yugi to tremble with desire.

"Ir nn ir pf m wHm-a." Atemu warned with a loving nip to Yugi's nose, his eyes shining with mischief, and Yugi pouted, wiggling a little t make Atemu move, but the pharaoh only gave him a look. "mn n wi?"

"ir ntk Sn wi." Yugi whispered, looking up into crimson eyes with a desperate need. Atemu smiled slowly, his eyes warm and deep, as he leaned close to give Yugi his request.

Lips slowly pressed to his own in a searching imploring kiss that left him floating in contentment. Yugi opened his mouth beneath Atemu's kiss inviting a deeper caress and the living god followed his lead, giving Yugi what he needed while moving in even deeper as the kiss progressed.

When their lips finally parted, wet and swollen, Atemu placed one last chase kiss upon him, his words barely a breath of sound. "N grg."

Yugi nodded, and relaxed against the sheets, his body still thrumming with desire and unsatisfied need, but that was about to be rectified. "Aishiteru, Atemu." Yugi whispered just as Atemu shifted within him, loving him at a new, deeper angle, and the burning in his lower stomach rekindled almost instantly.

"Atemu…"

XXXX

The room had become heated and tense, lust and passion coated the air as the two bodies shifted together, rubbing, feeling, loving. Grunts and breathless moans escaped the parted lips of the two lovers entangled in the sheets.

Atemu was on fire, as his lips caressed the fragile body beneath his own, tasting the skin and sweat that the smaller body gave. A breathless moan was his reward, as his tongue laved over the boy's collar bone, his teeth nipping at the skin lustfully, pressing his lower hips into the soft, tight, heat below him.

He hissed in joy as the one beneath him cried out, arching up and allowing Atemu to sink deeper into his body. "Yess…" He groaned, hands pulling the boy's hips down sinking deeper yet, into the thrashing body of the shivering, and shaking boy. Atemu rolled his hips, loving the way the boy's body tensed, squeezing him tighter, and Yami ran his hands up the sides, brushing over his sweat laden skin.

"Ah!... A… Atemu!" The boy breathed, and he groaned, sinking low to rub his body against the shivering light under him, feeling himself pull out slightly from the boy's opening and moaned at the sensation as the boy arched once more, panting and crying out. He was so sensitive, it made Atemu shiver in pure lust, wanting the boy writhing in pleasure under him until they both came.

He gazed down at the pale face, golden bangs clinging to flushed rounded cheeks, the child's arms sprawled up by his face, now pinned by Atemu's hands, and his eyes tightly shut. He smiled and lay a gentle yet hungry kiss to his love's tender lips, biting on the lower lip as he pulled away, drawing the boy's attention to him. "akhu… look at me… akhu."

Slowly, amethyst eyes opened, glazed with passion, and Atemu sighed in bliss arching himself deeper into the boy, watching as the boy's head pressed back baring his throat as the boy cried out for him, because of him.

Atemu lovingly kissed at the exposed skin, licking and nipping his way across the child's flesh, feeling the delicate tremors that overtook his body. When he reached his ear, Atemu slipped out of the boy, until only his tip remained buried, and the boy whimpered slightly.

Atemu chuckled, "Do you want something, ari akhu?" The boy nodded his head frantically, arching, trying to draw him back within his body, but he simply backed away a bit, until the boy was crying out for his touch. "How do you ask for something," Atemu asked kissing the boy's neck sensually in apology to his little game, and received a desperate kiss in return from his small lover.

"Please… onegai… antyw pr-aA!"

Atemu grinned and kissed Yugi's ear, a deep heat spreading through his insides at the pleading note in the boy's voice, and he nipped the lobe of the boy's ear lovingly. "Yes, antyw akhu…" And he slid back into the tight opening with a sharp thrust, grunting at the pleasurable feelings, feeling the boy cry out his name in ecstasy. He pulled out and thrust back in creating a desperate friction that pulsed through his body and echoed on the air from the sensitive boy.

Mind hazy with need, he gripped the Yugi's erection awkwardly from between them, his light's legs propped over his arms, and stroked it in time with his thrusts. Yugi was screaming now, loud and unrestrained, and Atemu nuzzled the underside of his chin with his face and purred as he increased his tempo, pulling and pushing with in the pliable body.

"Ah… I.. can't… uh! No.. no more… I need to… uh!" Yugi panted, unable to bare the intense feelings that pulsed through him. Atemu was filled with masculine pride at his ability to completely overload Yugi's mind with pleasure and grunted, latching onto those crying lips and drawing the breath from him.

"Just little more, Yugi… hold on for me… just… a bit…" His words broke off on a lustful grunt, and Yugi cried out beneath him, his arms shaking in their entrapment.

Atemu released his hole and pulled Yugi's arms up to embrace him, wanting to feel Yugi's desire and need through his hold. Yugi instantly clung, though his muscles were tired and fatigued, and it shot a bolt of warm lust through his stomach.

"…Ore no… ore no pharaoh…" Yugi breathed unable to recall how to speak hieratic, and it made Atemu tingle with pleasure, and suddenly Yugi's soft cries became too much.

"biAw… akhu… ntk nt wi!" He cried out, shoving into his light harshly, possessively as he came, the boy's own release following shortly after.

"Atemu!"

The pharaoh lay upon his love, still buried deeply, and smiled, kissing the little one's shoulder affectionately as he slowly recovered. As his hear slowed, Atemu managed to prop himself up on his elbows alleviating the weight he'd placed upon Yugi's worn out form, and watched as the smaller one still fought to catch his breath. Atemu tucked a damp strand of hair behind Yugi's ear, lovingly tracing Yugi's flushed cheek, basking in the afterglow.

_He looked exactly as I imagined he would. My precious servant, my light, my partner… my Yugi…_

"biAw… biAw."

Yugi opened his eyes slowly, his mouth still parted and panting, his eyes met and locked with Atemu's. The emotion in that one look shook Atemu's heart, and when Yugi reached out for him, wishing for Atemu to hold him close, the pharaoh was unable to deny him.

"… wi… mr… ntk…" Yugi whispered into the shell of Atemu's ear, and the pharaoh smiled, his hear unusually full. "… ntk… nt… wi… pr-Aa…"

"Always, Yugi… always."

Yugi smiled against his shoulder, and let out a contented coo, as Atemu's eyes slid closed, his eyes wrapped around Yugi's tired body, as sleep finally claimed both young men.

XXXX

The room was filled with dusky shadows that climbed over the walls and slunk across the floor like a fog of dense, inescapable death. He had no way of knowing what time of day it was, nor did he really care anymore. The screams and agonized cries had long ago ripped his sanity from him. The darkness only added to the insane and unfair torment of his already dwindling mind.

"They have forgotten us." The raspy voice had once made his insides quail and beg for more, now it only served to make his skin pimple. The lack of water and food was beginning to affect everyone, but that might just be useful to his plan.

"So it would seem. What is it to you, Pragus? You won't last much longer without some nourishment. What will you do then? Oh fearless leader?" Fastosus asked, his own voice sounding wisp-thin his to his own ears. Seemed he was doing no better than his once lover and head of command.

There was an angered snort from the darkness to his left, and had the Roman warrior been at full health the young ruler might have feared his reprisal, but in his current condition, Fastosus doubted he could hit anything in the blind darkness. "Now is the time for our escape. Unless you feel incapable of serving your country again, Caesar?" The biting comment rankled deeply and caused a deep hurt to swell in his chest leaving Fastosus angered, and snarling.

"I can handle this!" Fastosus snapped, raising to his grime-coated feet and teetering slightly on his feet as the prickles from blood flowing back into limbs he'd not used since being thrown into the cell with Pragus. They had yet to be beaten in anyway which surprised Fastosus, but then again the Egyptian empire was a little preoccupied with their little problem. A smirk was brought to Fastosus's as he remembered that lovely fact. "I can handle it better than you could handle the capturing of the shadow magic."

A sharp pain lanced through his gut and doubled the young ruler in on himself. Strangled saliva dribble from his mouth and caught on his chin. His cry was caught in his throat, stuck in the liquid that clogged his airway.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, brat. Remember who made you!" The gruff voice sounded like spoken poison to his ears. "You would still be cowering in your old man's shadow if I hadn't given you the poison." Pragus's grip was like iron: cold and unbreakable, upon his shoulder, and Fastosus wished not for the first time that he was a little stronger than he was; a little older, and wiser perhaps then defeating Pragus both physically and mentally would be possible, but as things stood Pragus still ruled over his heart whether he wanted him to or not.

"How am I getting out then?" Fastosus asked in a voice void of emotion. Pragus's smirk was almost visible in the darkness, as evil as the shadows that caked the walls.

"There is a hole down here behind my back, it leads out into the corridor. There is a guard beyond that, be certain you are not caught. Kill the guard and return with the keys for me. We will overtake Khemet together."

"Together." Fastosus said through gritted teeth. The hand guided him to the wall. The stone was rough and stung his fingertips as he felt down its surface for the opening Pragus had spoken of. He had to lower himself to his knees before he found it, and almost cried out in surprise at the small size of it.

A sickly child couldn't squeeze through there, but he'd have to if he wanted to survive.

"Something wrong, _my lord_?" The baiting words drove the spike in deeper, and Fastosus clenched his hands into tight fists, his broken fingernails cutting into his flesh in his anger. _You will regret this Pragus. Mark my words, you will be at my mercy you godless pig, and there will be no other but myself to warm your bed when I am through._

His shoulders bumped and scraped painfully against stone as he forced his body through the jagged opening. Skin was cut and pealed back by sharp shards as his chest ached for air as it was dangerously squeezed.

When at last he'd managed to slip through the other side, his form nothing more than a mass of scrapes and bloody tears, Fastosus drew in a deep breath and leaned against the wall for support.

"Don't just stand there, move!" Pragus hissed from somewhere beyond the wall, in the dark room of eternity, and Fastosus grinned, chuckling.

"Of course, Pragus…" The warning seemed to go unnoticed by the parched man, but that was all good for the young ruler. The less Pragus knew the better.

Slipping through the empty halls like a shadow himself, Fastosus made his way up to the palace floor without a single hitch. Wherever the guards were, the dungeon was not it.

_Now, where would the little dancer be hiding? _Fastosus thought, his grin feral. _Come out, come out, wherever you are…_

XXXX

_The shadows were everywhere, drowning out the light and sealing away the life that had once lived within it. His cry of fear was swallowed completely before it had a chance to even be born, and he dropped his hands to his sides, the cards slipping from his numbed fingers to scatter across the darkened ground only to vanish. His breath refused to fill his lungs, and the burning pain that took residence in his chest was enough to bead his forehead with a chilled, fear-filled sweat. _

_ Was there no way out? Yugi wondered, his fist clenching the soft blue fabric his school uniform, as if loosening the collar would help him to breath once more, but he already knew better than that._

_ The shadow realm wasn't so easily survived as that, and without the help of his yami, his soul was as good as vanquished. Yugi attempted again to scream, but only the air came out in a haunting whistle from his inactive throat._

_ The density in the air thickened, as a pale gray fog began to rise, sweeping away from his body as though drawn by a heavy wind, but there was no movement to the air, just the stale taste of death._

_ A deep growl attracted Yugi's blurred attention to the focal point of the fog, where a giant shadow loomed above him, its power as intense as the evil that emanated from it. Yugi took a fearful step back, still trying to breath, and the creature cried out in retaliation, its war-cry just a little louder than the echo of his own driving heart._

I'm going to die… _Yugi's thought triggered the monster, and like the flow of electricity through water, the beast ran at him, its heavy footfalls echoing off of the darkness to quicken his pulse. Adrenaline shot to his brain, and he turned to run, but the monster was already upon him. Yugi could smell the rank breath of the creature that would devour his soul and—_

_ Yugi shivered, his insides telling him to escape from the depths of the shadows. Yugi quaked, something was warning him, like a light scream that twanged through his mind, echoing there and turning his insides cold. _Something's wrong… I … I shouldn't be here… with out Yami inside me… I can't… I can't stay…

_ A deathly quiet-still, ran over Yugi, and when he looked up, aware of it, Yugi found himself staring out across a deep blackness, the shadows looking back at him, and he had the distinct feeling that they were not pleased with what they saw. _

_ Yugi let out a startled cry as the monsters moved toward him, their bodiless forms snarling in an echoing quality that caused Yugi's skin to crawl. His arms lifted to block his face, and Yugi was aware of a dim light that seemed to glow from in front of him, until a sharp cry and a buffet of wind before him forced his mind to shift from the question of where the light was coming from…_

"_The balance has been restored… it's equaling factor would have to have known."_ _The voice was recognizable to Yugi._ _"His soul has returned to his origin. Therefore until he returns to this time, you are all that's left to preserve his body."__ Old and mysterious, but Yugi knew it. __"The soul room has been opened, Pharaoh. In order for balance to be kept, the light must return to set things in motion, in order for the world to survive." __He'd met it before he even knew of Yami's existence… but where…_

_The tomb held hieroglyphics like any other catacomb in the pyramid, but these surrounded the upper walls in painted gold, as clear as the day they had been written. As if the day the Pharaoh of nameless shadows was laid to rest, the writings where made, and the tomb sealed, preserving the words for eternity._

"… _for my light who left to soon, the golden hands of Ra taking back what he'd once given to a god. Darkness swells and inside it shall quell, the end of all falls upon me now, save light's future… Shadow Games of night, chains of binding light?"_

Yoshimori..?

_"I am Yami, your darkness. You are the light that shattered the shadows and freed me from my torment; the other half of my soul, which I lost somewhere long ago. You are my light as I am your dark. We are two parts of a whole…"_

_ "You are the light."_

_ "What are you? You where glowing in a place where light should not exist! So tell Yugi, what are you?"_

_ "The light…"_

I am… the light.

Yugi's eyes shot opening the darkness of Atemu's room. Cold sweat drenched his body from where it was curled beneath the sheets of the bed, still wrapped in the pharaoh's drowsy embrace.

Yugi's mouth was open in a silent scream, and was dry as cotton. Yugi closed his mouth, willing his saliva to wet his tongue and rid it of the taste of the dead air. The chilled breathless wind came in from the balcony, silent as death, and Yugi shivered, blinking the last of his sleep from his eyes.

_A dream? No… some of those were… memories, but they weren't mine… at least not all of them…_ Yugi suppressed another fearful shiver and pulled closer to the sleeping body next to him.

Atemu rested peacefully on his back, one arm strewn out across the bed—currently being used as Yugi's pillow—and curved back around in a loose embrace, while the other rested on his bared stomach. The sheets had ridden down in the night, and now just barely covered Atemu's hips.

Yugi smiled warmly, pulling the blanket up more securely around the sleeping man. He didn't want him getting sick. The movement brought his naked body against the warm, carmeled skin of Atemu's body, and brought a burgundy blush to Yugi's pale cheeks. _I actually went through with it…_ Yugi smiled and squirmed a bit in the bed, pleased with himself. _Doesn't feel half bad… _

A sharp feeling of pressure in his mind stopped the giddy little sound that tried to escape him. He knew that feeling, but it was almost foreign now as he tried to pinpoint just what it was he was feeling._ It's… it's… _Yugi gasped, tears stinging his eyes when he realized just what it was.

"Yami…" Yugi's whisper was hardly voiced at all as the feeling of the puzzle's spirit weighed down his mind. Slowly, fearing that it might all be a fleeting dream, Yugi turned to the place Atemu had kept his puzzle since his arrival.

It rested beside the bed, glowing brightly, as it had done the day Yugi had assembled it. Cautiously, so as not to disturb Atemu, Yugi slipped from the bed, his legs quaking beneath him almost unable to bare his weight. A painful ache throbbed from his lower back and radiated down through his legs to his knees and almost forced him to the ground. _Note to self, next time you have sex, make sure you don't need to walk the next day… got it… _

Carefully, Yugi approached the item he'd not held in almost three months. His heart fluttered nervously, and his eyes continued to glance toward Atemu's sleeping face. Was this a betrayal of his trust? Atemu had asked him not to touch it, and he hadn't, but now…

_Yami's calling, I can't ignore that! I don't really belong here at all… I… I just want… _Yugi broke that thought off before it even began. He didn't know what he wanted anymore.

He wanted to stay with Atemu, to make him happy, but he also wanted to go home to his Grandpa, his friends, his… Yami.

Yugi's fingers touched the puzzle, and like a pulse, the light shone brightly before winking out entirely, Yugi collapsed to the floor holding his hand that now stung as though he'd grabbed a hold of a hundred watt power line.

_That wasn't one of my smarter moves… ouch…_Yugi rubbed the offended hand for several minutes wondering what had happened. The pressure was still there, but Yami's voice and soul were still missing. _What was—_

It is better that Exodia is lost._ The spirit's voice was dark and heavy. It confused Yugi as he stood beside a dripping Jonouchi, holding three pieces of the once five for Exodia._

But, why? Grandpa loved these cards as much as the others why is it better that it be destroyed? _Yugi's question caused the spirit much distress and sadness that baffled Yugi._

I… I'm not sure why… _The spirit pulled closer to Yugi's soul, as though attempting to hold him, and Yugi blushed at the odd feeling on his spiritual body. _Those five cards are extremely powerful… and they only listen to your soul. That bothers me… for reasons I don't fully remember… _The spirit became quiet, and Yugi didn't bother asking anymore questions. If the spirit said he was better off with out Exodia, then he'd just have to trust him. _

But why would a shadow monster… obey me and not the spirit of the millennium puzzle? _Yugi thought to himself, already knowing he would never be answered._

Yugi's jaw became slack as he stared into nothingness. The pressure was still there, but it wasn't as insistent now. No, now it was like that bad feeling he'd had when he'd heard of Yoshimori's newest discovery. _That's why I'm here. _Yugi thought a little hysterically, his arms curling around himself in an awkward hug. _That's ay I was afraid of Yoshimori's call and invitation. I am the one who seals Exodia away. That's why Yami hated the cards, that's why there were two bodies buried in Yami's sarcophagus. _Yugi gave a soft laugh, his face a mask of bittersweet sadness. _I scare the darkness because I sealed away it's instigator… but that means…_

Amethyst eyes turned up to the relaxed face of Atemu, and his heart twisted in his chest. _I have to leave you… after everything… I have to leave you all alone. _Somehow Yugi felt sick to his stomach at the thought that he would be the one to crush such a brave soul as this, but really what other choice was he given?

Standing once more, Yugi mechanically moved around the room, picking up his boxers and putting them back on, and gathering his school uniform. Yugi slowly dressed, letting his tears run silently down his cheeks at the nostalgic feel of the cloth against his skin, and the comforting smell that soaked into his body.

He missed his home, but he knew he'd be missing this world, where Atemu was just as much. _Atemu is still with me… Yami is there in my time. _Yugi tried to console himself. _But what guarantee do I have that I'll even return home after this? And if I do, will Yami forgive me for leaving him like this? Will he even still love me? _Suddenly the ideas that he'd placed in his mind about Yami being straight made his stomach bottom out. _He doesn't love Anzu does he?_

Yugi shook such thoughts from his head as he put on his boots, standing once again in his normal clothes. It felt restrictive now; cumbersome and tight, but at the same time soothing. _I'll leave, just as I came. _Yugi thought walking back toward his puzzle, now glowing dimly in the dark reacting as Atemu's did to the dark shadow magic outside.

The usual weight around his neck was a comfort and Yugi folded his fingers around the worn gold, drawing strength from its presence. Pausing one last time, Yugi ran his hand over Atemu's cheek memorizing his features.

He was different from Yami in his own way. A little less grown up perhaps, a little harder, and a little prouder, but he would always be his Yami, and now Yami's memories also held a special place in his heart as well.

Yugi took his chances to give Atemu one last kiss, his lips molding to the pharaoh's easily, taking this final memory with him incase it was really his last.

"Thank you Atemu." Yugi whispered against the skin, and felt warmth spread through him at Atemu's sleepy smile. Turning Yugi left, picking up the map the others had looked over when discussing Exodia's resting place. _You showed me what love really was… I'm sorry it took me so long. I'm sorry…_

Yugi ran from the room before he could change his mind. He had just one more place he had to stop at before he could go. He just hoped Jonoh wasn't guarding the throne room. _Or the stables for that matter…_

Yugi didn't notice the shadow that detached itself from the wall of the corridor, nor did he notice its limping chase as it followed him through the hall, an evil grin on it's bloodied lips.

XXXX

"… after we received the message from Ryo Bakura, Grandpa and I think we know how to contact Yugi." Rebecca said, proudly adjusting her glasses on her freckle covered nose. The group was just as broken as Sugoroku had warned her, and a part of her felt sick from their actions, even as another part felt sympathetic as they all slowly rebuilt themselves before her eyes.

"Bakura?" Honda asked, the first thing he'd said since she'd arrived. "But I didn't call him, did you guys?"

"No." Anzu replied. Her frail actins were really starting to piss Rebecca off. "Jonouchi?"

"Not me, and you know it wasn't Yami." Jonouchi had a good point it would seem as the entire group made a sound of agreement. Yami just stayed in his corner, arms crossed over his chest looking concerned.

"Then how?" Honda asked, eyes landing on Yami. From the look he gave, Rebecca was certain that it was a type of challenge, but for what she had no clue.

"… Bakura was sealed away in the ring because of his idiocy in releasing the greatest evil ever known to the world at that time, on khe—uh, Egypt. So, if my memory still had holes in it, perhaps his did as well, and its returning as mine does." Yami offered, lifting eyes that seemed a little more sane than the last time she'd seen him.

Honda snorted, but looked less hostile at Yami's input.

"I guess that's possible, but why call Rebecca? And how did he get her number in the first place?" Jonouchi suddenly sounded concerned, as though the fact that Bakura had Rebecca's number meant that the spirit of the ring was somehow stalking everyone in the group.

Rebecca rolled her eyes. "Ryo's father worked with my Grandfather on a theory a while back. They traded numbers, and that was how Ryo knew it. Ryo called because, I'm sure he knew that you would all be at a loss as to what to do." Rebecca paused for emphasis. "Grandfather and I can look into a lot of old files and other things that may help Yugi what with our connections. So, he called for that, reason, and as I said, I think I found a way to return Yugi to this world." Rebecca waited for the praise and was sourly disappointed when none came.

She pouted and returned to her laptop. "Besides, Ryo said that Bakura was worried." _Whatever that means… _

There was a stiff sort of silence in the room as those words sank in, and Rebecca waited for the over reaction, and was again disappointed, when the group of wide-eyed, disbelieving stares turned away and calmed as though no one wanted to even deal with that idea.

"Will you guys react to something already? I've just told you a cold-blooded evil spirit was worried for my darling, and that we now have a possible solution and all you can do is sit there looking stupid?" Rebecca's outburst dragged out several guilty faces and she sighed flopping back into her seat. "You are all pathetic. Anyway, Grandfather found this old spiritual rite from Egypt. It was very old, almost predating the Egyptian culture itself. It was found in Hierakonpolis, the capitol of upper Egypt. It's a way to summon Ptah the god of creation. If it works, grandfather believes that—"

The sudden cry stopped her explanation, and Rebecca looked up angrily, ready to yell at whoever had interrupted, but stopped herself as Yami collapsed to his knees, his hands curled into the hair at the side of his head.

"Ah!"

"Yami!" Anzu cried immediately by the other's side. Her reaction bothered Rebecca. She already knew that Anzu preferred Yami to Yugi, so how badly did that girl really want Yugi back? _Well, if this method is correct then she won't have to worry, and neither will I, we'll both be happy…_

"What's happening?" Rebecca asked as Jonouchi suddenly let out a curse also joining Anzu around the fallen poltergeist.

"He's having a flashback type thingy." Was Jonouchi's bright response. Honda moved closer then as well.

Rebecca set her laptop aside, forgetting the diagram and the steps to the ritual she'd been ready to undergo, to attend to the spirit that was writhing in pain upon the floor. "What?"

"He's been getting memories back since Yugi's been gone. Most times their sudden and painful." Anzu explained a little more clearly. Obviously, Anzu and Jonouchi were the only two who knew this, as Honda's eyes grew wide with sudden understanding.

"What's happening then!" Honda exclaimed trying to get passed Jonouchi to either attack or help Yami. From the way Jonouchi held him back, Rebecca assumed it was the former.

"…E…exodia… Yugi's going to…NO!" Yami's scream cut through the house like a blade, and collapsed the warmth that had been in Rebecca's heart.

"Don't… don't die… aibou!"

No one said anything for a long time.

(Ending theme: Night Flowers)

_I'm wandering lost in the land of love;_

_please come find me._

_I hide my heart_

_that I thought I'd already wore the wings off of._

_The thousands of petals_

_which color my heart_

_make me yearn for you, almost sadly_

_Once more_

_Mirage that slips through my fingers_

_the moment I grasp it..._

_I want to steal away all of you._

_Brandishing a frozen knife,_

_love dances, scattering the night flowers_

_Love, comfort, let go - even my heart..._

_Feel it more intensely_

_If it's destiny,_

_then I don't need peace or warmth._

_Brandishing a frozen knife,_

_love dances, scattering the night flowers_

_Break, injure, seal it away - even my heart..._

_Love me more intensely_

Translations:

**wi mr ntk, p3y-i pr-Aa: **I love you, my pharaoh.

**wi mr? S-htp, Atemu, mr wi: **Love me? Please, Atemu, love me.

**Ink n –k: **I belong to you.

**Set srf: **Such warmth.

**mn. Ir nn StA, Yugi… p3y-i Heba: **Remain. Do not be difficult, Yugi… my Game. (AKA Yugi)

**Ir nn ir pf m wHm-a: **Do not do that again.

**mn n wi: **Remain for me?

**ir ntk Sn wi: **Only if you kiss me.

**N grg: **To begin.

**biAw: **Mine.

**ntk nt wi: **you belong to me.

**Ore no Pharaoh: **my Pharaoh.


	16. Chapter 15

_Chapter Fifteen_

There was a low-riding fog across the marshes again this morning. It blanketed the yard and the reflecting pond, and made the swing set between the two large oak trees seem to vanish into nothingness. Ryo sighed and slumped a little further into the window seat, his chin cradled in his palm as brown eyes watched the natural phenomenon with a casual boredom.

"Do you think Yugi's all right?"

"Why the hell would I care?" Was the expected response he got from the irate spirit of the ring, as he lounged across the downy bed, feet and head hanging over the edge hair like a blackout curtain for his face. He looked like luke-warm road kill, with his arms hanging by his head. Ryo would have laughed at the sight had he not feared Bakura's retaliation. He may have settled down after that insightful trip into the millennium world—the past as it was—but he was still an over-reacting ex-tomb robber. And _no one _made a joke out of him and lived.

"… I know you don't, but I do. So, do you think he'll be all right?" Ryo said in a firmer voice. He wasn't brave, not yet at least, but he was learning to assert his backbone in some instances. Like when his father invited him home for the month he had off in London, he'd told Bakura to keep quiet and not let his father see him.

The spirit listened, though Ryo was certain it was due to Bakura's dislike of groups and, "Stupid people" as Bakura was want to say. The spirit gave a discomforted grunt from his prone position, and Ryo knew that he was contemplating his answer. _Pretend all you want Bakura, I know you're worried about Yugi too. After all, when you have no body of your own, you unintentionally rely on those who know of your existence and except you, in order to prove you truly exist. _Ryo thought to himself, though by the random, and casual flip of Bakura's long middle finger, he was certain the spirit had heard him.

_You are a real smart ass, you know that? _Bakura shot his way, finally forcing himself to flip onto his back, his hair now appearing to stand on end, as bored brown eyes locked on his own.

"… and the runt is fine. You think the Pharaoh would let his precious little light and fuck-toy be taken away for eternity?"

Ryo scowled at the crass statement but knew better than to correct the spirit. "Well, no, but Yami doesn't know what—"

"The pharaoh is a god damned idiot!" Bakura growled, closing his eyes and to anyone who might walk in looked like he fell asleep. Like some deranged, albino bat. "Besides, Yugi's around now, isn't he?"

"No, that's why—"

"Ryo don't let the runt's friend's stupidity effect you. I meant he was born an lived in this time."

"Oh. Well, yes of course he wa—"

"So," Bakura cut off, and as far as Ryo knew, enjoying the momentary power that the action gave him. "My point is, the Pharaoh probably made some sort of deal with the Gods, most likely involving his sacrifice, and saved Yugi's existence so they could be together again."

Ryo smiled, relieved by Bakura's statements even if half of them were only speculation. "Yeah, you're right. I should trust those two and enjoy the last few days we have here." Ryo beamed at his darker half, glad that he was still with him, even if he was insane. It kept his life interesting if nothing more. "Thanks Ba—"

"Too bad he's too stupid to realize that if he doesn't claim that little runt-like idiot, that stupid female with the annoying voice and glasses will kidnap him, brainwash him, and make him her sex slave. Leaving that dumb ass pharaoh to the bimbo friendship worshiper." Bakura made a face, chuckling manically.

Ryo blinked. Bakura was definitely not allowed to watch his father's movies anymore. "I think you need to go outside today Bakura."

"Why? And how do you intend to make me mortal?"

Ryo could think of a few methods.

His smirk was all his darkness needed to see. "Shit, I'm rubbing off on you." He didn't sound all that displeased.

XXXX

The stables seemed a little too quiet to Yugi, but he wasn't certain. He'd never owned or ridden a horse before, well with exception to that one time and battle Yami and him had chosen never to talk about, and technically it was Yami that rode the horse, not him. So, he wasn't too sure that the stable was too quiet or even normal, but the silence of everything just unnerved him. _I hope I'll be able to ride. Damn, I should have asked Atemu to teach me… oh well. _Yugi slowly maneuvered through the stalls, taking the time to look over each animal.

Would it be safe to take a horse? What if the horse died before it got back here? _No, once Atemu finds that note he'll come after me. The horse will be fine. _Yugi nodded to himself, stopping before a sleek looking black horse. He whished for the life of him he knew the names and types, but they all eluded him. Whatever breed, the horse was very regal looking, and Yugi got the distinct impression that the horse belonged to Atemu. How he knew he wasn't sure, but he felt that way all the same. _Who am I kidding, every horse in here belongs to Atemu…_

The stall was easily opened, and aside from a whinny the horse remained calm. For that, Yugi was grateful, especially when he realized that he was going to have to ride bareback. He had _no _clue how to saddle a horse.

"Hey, you're a good horse aren't you? Yes, you are. Are you going to let me take you out for a bit?" Yugi crooned to the animal, hoping he wouldn't have to flee for his life as an enraged horse tried to cave his head in with its hooves. It looked like the horse was going to be amiable, but something in the shadows wasn't.

"Found you." The raspy hiss made Yugi jump, a very unmanly squeak escaping him, as he turned to face his adversary only to find himself tackled to the hard floor. His head cracked against the stone painfully, creating spots that danced and twirled before his eyes, and Yugi grunted as the smaller form landed atop of him crushing the air from his lungs. "Not so special now are you. Wonder what the pharaoh would think, knowing you're just another thief." The breath was rank as I wafted over Yugi's face smelling crazily like the outhouse on a softball field.

"What? No, I'm not…"

"Shut up, I don't really care what you are." It was then that Yugi realized the voice was childlike, and in the gloom he was just capable of seeing the outline of that face, and he felt his jaw drop as icy fear coursed like poison through his veins.

"King Arthur…"

Fastosus gave him a funny look at the odd name, before recomposing himself, his amazingly strong hands folding over Yugi's neck in a tight vicious grip. Yugi choked out, surprised at the sudden grip his own fingers curling around those hands trying to free his neck, but some thick, sticky, liquid prevented him from gaining a real grasp on him. "Why?" Yugi choked out from around a quickly bruising throat.

"Why? Are you stupid? Because I hate you, your existence sickens me. Your poor dancing skills, and average looks, and clumsy virgin actions make me want to vomit. I hate you and the way Pragus watches you like your something special." Spittle stuck to his chin and lips, as his yelling became enraged whispered spat from between clenched teeth. Again Yugi's eyes were blurring as oxygen was deprived from reaching his brain.

"B—ut I haven't don…" The flexing of those fingers broke off Yugi's complaint with a cough.

"You didn't have to." Fastosus snarled, his grip tightening further. For a small child he was insanely strong. Yugi wheezed as best he could trying to roll, or even squirm but the boy seemed to have planted his weight evenly over Yugi's prone form making escape nearly useless. "All you had to do was take his attention from me."

His head began to throb and Yugi found his gasping to be useless. If he didn't move now he'd be killed. With blurry thoughts, Yugi lifted his hand to tug on those fingers one last time. Fastosus smirked and in that moment Yugi moved. The heel of his palm shot up and connected with the underside of the young Cesar's nose. He heard the cartilage crunch and retracted his hit afraid of killing the boy, and was instantly released. Cool air rushed into his lungs and soaked into his brain. Vaguely below the humming in his ears he could Fastosus's agonized cries as he held his broken nose.

Rolling over weakly, Yugi attempted to stand knowing that blow wouldn't keep Fastosus busy for long, and shakily made his way towards that beautiful horse once more. The animal trotted in place, nervous and fretful, and Yugi tried to reach out to the animal to calm it.

"You worthless bastard!" Fastosus's cry was followed immediately by the bodily shock of being tackled. Yugi's breath was again knocked from him with the impact as they flew across the room.

Searing pain lanced through his back as they hit the wall. Like fire it tore through him and Yugi gasped, unable to scream as the pain engulfed his mind, numbing all else.

"Die!" Fastosus cried, striking Yugi across the face, but that action barely gained Yugi's attention as a thick sticky substance spilled down his back. _No.. I have to… move. Arg! It… it hurts… so bad… Yami… Atemu… it hurts…_

"Pragus will no longer be blinded by your filth you animal." Fastosus's spat, but whatever he'd planned to do, was cut short as Yugi curled up with the last f his strength to kick the boy in the center of the chest, throwing him back and against the sandstone wall of the stable.

The hollow thud created as the small body collided with the rock was relaxing, especially when Fastosus didn't get back up again, obviously knocked out. Yugi's breath was labored as he waited for several long moments, simply glad to be alive. _I've got to remember to thank Jonouchi for the self-protection tips when I get back… _Yugi thought, trying to find the strength to pull away from the wall.

He collapses again as the movement caused a flash of blinding agony to race through him. _Damn it… I have to…_

A gentle nudge to his cheek coaxed his attention up and towards the horse that had approached him, as he lay there prone. "Hey…" Yugi whispered with a small smile. "You want to help me?"

The horse gave him another nudge, whether that was an agreement or a request for him to move his carcass out of his stable, Yugi didn't know, but he took it for ascent. Reaching up Yugi grabbed a hold of the horse's flank; unable to move any more the horse pulled Yugi back and away from the wall. The soaking, sticky, heat increased around him as something slid out of his back sending shockwaves through his mind. Yugi tried not to think about it as he lay trembling on the side of the horse.

It was several minutes before he managed to haul himself up onto the horse, where he lay barely conscious, the map nearly soaked in his own blood.

Exodia, I have to stop… Exodia…

XXXX

He wasn't all that surprised to find himself standing in the middle of the desert after having been asleep in his bed. His odd attire and appearance barely concerned him either, though he did wonder what his real body looked like at this moment.

"Dark Magician." Yugi's voice sounded tired and strained, and had Mahado not also been apart of the Chaos that had suddenly engulfed all of Khemet he would have been worried. _But why has he called me? HE has not done so since arriving at the palace… and why are we out in the desert?_

It was en that Mahado realized that the sun was just starting to rise in the distance—a tiny sliver of light where the clouds of Exodia did not reach. Where is Yugi that he could be on the edge of Exodia's control?

Looking up finally, Mahado gasped in sudden panic at the sight of the small slave. He was barely supported by the Pharaoh's favorite Arabian Stallion. His skin was a pasty pale and was covered in a dense sweat though the air was as chilled as it had been for the past few weeks, but his biggest concern lay in the open wound upon his back, where black colored blood seeped out to color his dark blue clothes from before. _He is dying…_ Mahado thought frantically, and instantly moved to aid the small boy.

"Dark Magician, wait… I need a favor from you…" Yugi whispered, his breathing becoming labored. "I.. need to get into the place where Exodia's seal is… but… I can't feel my legs anymore."

"Wha… Yugi, why do you wish to go there? It's too dangerous, what do you think you can…" Mahado trailed off as his eyes landed upon the gold and blood smeared millennium puzzle around Yugi's neck. It glowed with a dim power, pulsing with the wind around them, or perhaps Yugi's own fading heartbeat.

"Don't worry… it's mine… make sure, Atemu knows… I… I'm sorry… but I couldn't let him die… this thing… only needs… one of… us." Yugi gave a rueful smile then, made bitterly painful by the pain and sadness reflected in those once bright eyes. "This is my only request… Mahado… please help me… save Atemu…"

Mahado looked away, his heart heavy with grief. How could he say no now? With quick, but careful steps he lifted Yugi into his arms. His slight hiss of pain was quickly covered as Mahado situated his slit weight against him. The warmth of his blood quickly soaked into his robes. Even if he brought him back now, Yugi would never survive this wound. He would die in vain.

Yugi gave a tired laugh, his eyes scanning the area. "It would figure… that this would be… the place where I woke up… in the first place…"The humor was lost on Mahado.

"Hold on, this is going to be a little while." Mahado warned briefly as he stepped through the torn and destroyed barrier that had once stood at the exit. They'd be luck if the tomb was even standing after Exodia's escape.

"Thank you… Mahado…" Yugi seemed to fall asleep against him, and Mahado quickened his steps entering the forbidden tomb.

It was dark and stank of death, and Mahado pulled Yugi closer to himself as if to ward off the raven wings of Anubis with his very soul. The pathways had mostly caved in upon themselves, leaving only one corridor to follow, having no other choice, Mahado took it.

The hall never seemed to end, only continued to spiral on continuously, and just as he'd started to fear that this was one of the many traps set up by the ancients to guard the evil, Mahado stepped into a spacious room. The dark magic seemed to emanate from this room.

Yugi was warm in his arms, and appeared to glow faintly in the blackness. _Just like before…_ Mahado wondered, noticing how the Puzzle around Yugi's neck seemed to keep the small boy alive even as his body slowly collapsed in upon itself. _This was your reason for appearing to us. _Mahado realized sadly, suddenly not wishing to let him go. _You came to seal away Exodia. You came to give up your life for us… for Atemu… _For some reason grief struck him hard, and the urge to urn and run from it all was nearly overpowering.

"… here?" Yugi asked, his eyes barely able to open. Mahado couldn't swallow around the large lump in his throat, so nodded his head in response instead. "Good." Yugi mumbled with a smile. "Can you put me before the stone tablet please?"

Numbly, Mahado obeyed, his feet working without his brain really realizing what his body was doing. The sound of his feet hitting the stone flooring was missing, as he approached the alter where Exodia's tablet now rested.

His heart had turned to lead in his chest as the fluttering heartbeat of the boy in his arms grew fainter against his palm, and the think liquid of Yugi's blood soaked into his robes. _How did he get so injured?_

His movement stalled as he reached the top of the stone steps, his movements reluctant as he laid Yugi upon the altar's landing as gently as he could. Immediately his arms felt empty: hollow, as though he'd just thrown away something that was undeniably precious; that he'd just made a terrible mistake.

"What do, you need me to do?" Mahado asked, his voice calm with steely resolve. Yugi pushed himself up on weak arms, his eyes looking up and into the tablet that held Exodia's soul—well once had—his eyes dull and glassy. He was fading fast.

"Tell… Atemu I… I love him… and stay by his side." Yugi's words shocked Mahado to the core, and he moved forward to try and stop Yugi from his hastily made plan, and suddenly couldn't move.

"What?" Mahado briefly struggled against the light wisps of smoke. Incense that held him physically restrained from Yugi, his skin soaked in sweat from his exertion and glistening in the light that he emitted.

Yugi gave him a smile, a very sad, mournful smile, and Atemu realized the extent of Yugi's exhaustion as he noticed the dark rings under Yugi's normally expressive gaze.

"It's okay… Mahado." Yugi began, his breath sounding water-logged as he inhaled. "I'll be back. Tell Atemu that… I promise to find him… again… so… … wait for… me…"

Amethyst eyes slid closed and the world turned black.

XXXXX

Mahado shot up from his bed with a bitter cry on his lips and tongue, but no sound escaped. Sweat clung to his night wrap and sheets, as breaths were dragged in through his open mouth. _It can't be…_

Across the room, his young apprentice gave a light coo in her sleep as she rolled over, falling back into a careless dream. Mahado's belly clenched as he looked in Mana's direction. She'd been trying to keep her spirit's up for so long, but he feared she was slipping as the shadows remained.

_The darkness will end soon. _Mahado thought with disdain, and quickly rose from his bed.

His movement was as silent as it had been in the tomb as he through on his clothes and bolted from his room, feet rushing him to the Pharaoh's bedchamber. For an insane moment, Mahado toyed with the notion of turning around and leaving, but he shook it off harshly and threw the doors open, as he'd been doing for the past few weeks.

The room was dark like the rest of Khemet, and carried the solitude of the deepest of regrets. It clung to the air like a potent stench, nearly coking the words from his throat.

"Mahado?" Atemu's voice dragged his eyes around to the bed. Clothes were scattered around the floor, and the bed sheets were rumpled around Atemu's form. Even in the darkness, Mahado could see the marks of passion upon his god's skin, and felt his heart sink through his feet.

_"Tell him… I love him."_

Mahado's words caught in his throat as he realized that the room was laden with painful hope, denial, and the remnants of sex. His news seemed to burn away at his mouth leaving him mute, as those crimson eyes bore into his own, growing ore concerned by the moment.

"pr-aA…" The white priest choked out from around the ball of regret. "… Yugi… he…" He trailed off in a moment of weakness, his fingers curling into his palm with enough force to break the skin.

Crimson eyes blinked, as the Pharaoh looked around his bedchamber, as if just coming out of a haze and realizing that he was indeed alone in his rooms. Panic set in, and was clearly visible in those eyes. "Where is he?"

Mahado tried not to shy away, but his eyes averted of their own accord. This seemed to warn the pharaoh more than his words, if the sound of the shifting bed sheets was anything to go by.

"Mahado, where is Yugi?" Atemu's voice was whisper thin; fragile and breakable in the soft darkness of a room turned cold. Atemu's approach was loud in comparison to his own as the ruler suddenly grabbed fistfuls of Mahado's robes, his hands trembling.

Mahado closed weary eyes.

"Where is Yugi, priest?"

"He has gone to the temple of Apep." Mahado responded solemnly, and watched as Atemu's grip became tense, his eyes boiling angrily.

"Why in all of Ra's mercy would he go—"

"He asked me to watch over you. To tell you that, it only needed one…" Mahado trailed off at the stunned, horrified look that crossed his god's face, as his hands released him in a numbed manner, his eyes darting back to the bed where the two millennium puzzles should have been. Only one winked back at him through the darkness.

"Ra, no…"

Mahado remained silent, unsure o what to say in this moment defeat. Anything he said now would be meaningless in the face of what his god was losing. "Yugi wanted you to know, that he was sorry, and that he… loved you."

Enraged crimson settled on him, and Mahado found himself being restrained by Atemu's angered fists once again. "Why did you allow him to leave? Why didn't you stop him? Wake me? How could you turn your loyalties to—"

"I was summoned in my sleep, pr-aA. He was already there, there was nothing I could do. He sent me away just as easily, and I came immediately to your side. I did not change my loyalties." Mahado spoke calmly, though inside he was upset at the casualness in which his god had accused him.

Slowly, Atemu released him, and Mahado straitened himself as, the teen resituated himself.

"We must hurry then. Apep's temple is nearly a day's ride from here."

Mahado agreed silently, helping the pharaoh gather his attire and dress, Before making to accompany him to the stables. He knew he should try to convince Atemu to stay in the palace, the pharaoh being too important to lose, but at the same time he knew instinctively that he couldn't stop him, he doubted that anyone could.

"pr-aA!" The cry echoed from the halls, and froze the two in their place. Jonoh came up the way towards them, his clothes slightly disheveled; Seth followed behind him.

"What is wrong?" Atemu asked, and below the calm exterior, Mahado could hear the weakened tremble that resonated in the strong man's voice. _Why must this all happen to him?_ Mahado asked the gods, but as always they never answered him.

"It's Exodia!"

Mahado and Atemu stiffened at the mention of the dark beast, each fearing the worst.

"W—what about him?" Atemu's slip didn't go unnoticed by Seth, and the dark priest turned cold, hard eyes to Mahado, asking him without words what was wrong, but Mahado ignored the look. It was none of Seth' concern at the moment, he'd wanted Yugi gone from the beginning, soon he'd have his wish.

Seth spared him a rather nasty glare which Mahado ignored once more, turning his attention to the sun-bleached guard who seemed to have the information he was dreading. _Was Yugi's sacrifice in vain? Was it too late? Had he gotten stronger? _

"For Ra's sake, Jonoh, spit it out!" Atemu cried when the guard seemed unable to make more than a few choked noises.

"Exodia's stopped!"

A moment of tense silence and unrelieved stares.

"What do you mean, stopped?"

"Just what he said, Atemu." Seth broke in there, his voice sounding quiet and restrained, and it made Mahado wonder just what all the priest of the dark magics knew. "It seems that Exodia is being restrained from attacking…" Seth trailed off, enjoying the tension in the room as all eyes were focused onto his words.

Mahado felt his heart cave, already knowing what it was that would be restraining Exodia. He didn't know the form that it would take, but it was clear to him that whatever it was, it would be bright, and light. Whatever it looked like, it would be Yugi's life that held back the beast: his small, fragile, irreplaceable life. _Why must you take him back, Ptah? His soul is so very dear to Ra's son. So why… why must you take such joy from him now?_ Mahado thought, just waiting for the God's retribution for his questions, but none came.

"Restrained?" Atemu sounded bereft, and slightly shocked, as if unable to comprehend the significance of what his cousin was telling him. _Or just, unwilling to comprehend…_

"Yes, pr-aA, Exodia's being restrained, by chains of light, or so our informant tells me." Seth said. It didn't take a genius to figure that the informant was a Shadow Monster, there was no other way for that sort of news to arrive so quickly.

"Yugi…"

Mahado closed his eyes and turned away at the desperation in Atemu's voice, and heard Jonoh's sudden start. Without opening his eyes, Mahado knew that Jonoh had turned to Seth for his answer. Whatever Seth said—or in this case didn't say—it seemed to be right, for Jonoh quickly to leave the room.

"I'll get the horses ready." He ran off in the direction to the stables, before Mahado could warn him that Atemu's horse would not be there, but that was of little concern.

"pr-aA?" Mahado questioned when Atemu did not immediately follow, and turned to face the worried man.

Atemu seemed stiff, his arms quaking by his sides, but when he looked up, his eyes were hard and concentrated.

He had no intention of losing Yugi.

Mahado looked away again, knowing he had no choice.

"Seth, I want you to stay here." Atemu said, obviously still thinking of his people. "If anything happens to me—"

"You curse me with your job and I'll make sure you regret it in the after life." Seth warned, and Atemu managed a smirk.

"Of course." Atemu turned then, and strode from the room. "Mahado, I will need your assistance."

"Yes, pr-aA." Mahado breathed, even as he wished to decline. He knew what they would find, and he desperately didn't want to see his god collapse, but it seemed this was his punishment for questioning the god of creation.

He followed Atemu out of the doors and into the murky night.

XXXX

"This is amazing, I can't believe that this is actually true!" Arthur exclaimed as he viewed the two mummies with his own eyes. Yoshimori tried not to quake too much as he stood so close to the things that had started this insanity. His psychiatrist had told him to avoid strenuous situations, and yet here he was back in the museum, the shadows of night held at bay by the florescent lights.

"… yes. Quite." Was hi only input, as the scientist suddenly abandoned the glass cased mummies to look through the forensic flies Yoshimori had brought along at Sugoroku's request.

"By word, it's almost a perfect match of our dear Yugi. How peculiar…" Arthur seemed to be having the time of his life, flipping through what had been found, and what was still a mystery.

Such as, how the hell Yugi was a mummy to begin with.

"The same DNA, mitochondria a match with his mothers… huh, almost perfect." Arthur's brow creased then as something caught his eye in the document. He looked up then, face unreadable aside from the excitement that rolled off of him in waves. Yoshimori wished he could be as ecstatic. At the moment all he could manage was a sick feeling of dread. _I killed my friend's grandson… _

"It says suspected death occurred from a large puncture in his back." Arthur began, as if speculating the results of the tests he'd had done.

"Yes. It's on his left side, we believe it punctured his kidney and he bled out. Why, you think its wrong?" Yoshimori asked, wondering just what the 'black sheep' of the archeological and scientific field was getting at.

"No, not really I was just a little curious. It says that everything else appeared normal, is that right?"

Sugoroku sat up straighter then, his own interest suddenly peaked, and drawing him away from the exhibit he'd been looking through for nothing more than a distraction. He took the papers from Arthur and scanned them himself, his brows drawing low in the same confused—yet hopeful—expression that Arthur d held.

"Yes, why?" Yoshimori asked, feeling a bit out of the loop and not liking it. He was a very down-to-earth man by nature, yet he always seemed to be dragged into unexplainable situations that left him with out any control, and he was getting tired of feeling lost. "Will you just tell me what you think is so wrong?" He nearly snapped, the stress doing more than giving him ulcers.

"Oh, it's nothing so big, I was just a little curious at the fact that you found no surgical metal in the body." Arthur said off-handedly and Sugoroku gave a soft sound of shocked relief.

"Your right… well then, your theory is right!" Sugoroku seemed to beam he was so suddenly relieved. Yoshimori blinked, still not understanding anything the other two were saying, and suddenly had the feeling of being the but-end of a joke.

"Do either of you plan to fill me in?"

"Sorry, Yoshimori," Sugoroku began, handing the papers back to Arthur casually for the American to look over again for any other hints that seemed obscure to all but him. "Arthur had this hypothesis—"

"A theory now that there is some proof." Arthur interjected.

"Right, a theory, that perhaps Yugi really did exist back then as well, and has currently received a newly created body by the gods."

"Ptah specifically." Arthur said casually, flipping through the papers. Yoshimori's mind went blank.

"Ptah. As if the god of creation, Ptah?" Yoshimori questioned, a little lost and received two similar nods of agreement.

"Yes, it would make the most sense, that the gods needed Yugi to fulfill some great task, but he was not born in the right time—well in this case he was not free to attempt such a task—and so brought his soul back through time, and gave him a new, replicated body that could be disposed of when his task was done." Sugoroku paused smiling as though that explained everything.

Yoshimori wasn't sure whether he could call the two mentally unstable or not. After all, he had been filled in by Sugoroku, Yugi's friends, and his dark half/possessing pharaoh Yami about what had been going on. He couldn't deny what he'd seen, but at the same time he couldn't just believe him either.

"Ptah?"

Arthur sighed, closing the file and setting it aside as he approached. "Look, its not important whether or not you believe this, the fact remains that he body in that sarcophagus is a genetic match for Sugoroku's son, and can be dated back three thousand years, an impossible feat to be sure, but the body in there is not Yugi's."

"What?" Yoshimori asked, a sense of incomprehension clouding his mind and numbing his body. A quick glance at Sugoroku solidified Arthur's bizarre claims. "…but it is. He DNA test proved—"

"The DNA says it is Yugi, but Yugi—if I remember correctly—has a surgical pin in his hip from a childhood accident." Arthur turned to Sugoroku who nodded.

"That's right. Yugi was in a car accident when he was very small, it fractured his hip bone so badly, that the doctors had to place a pin in to hold the bone together. It can't ever be removed. The fact that the x-rays showed nothing, not even a fracture on the hip bone proves that the body in that sarcophagus, is not my grandson."

Well, that took out the time machine theory he'd been putting together.

"So… you're saying…?" Yoshimori asked, still a little lost as to what this all proved.

"Yugi is missing, we have proof of that. Yami seems to be remembering things putting Yugi in the past, but his real body is here, and if the story is true, Yami and Yugi were once one soul, so Yugi would not have his own body then." Sugoroku stated calmly, aware that this all unnerved Yoshimori greatly. His concern was barely noticed but appreciated all the same.

"Leaving reason to believe that the gods had foreseen these events and created a solution. Ptah created a replicated body for Yugi to reside in. As such, its not so far a cry to believe that if we call upon Ptah now, he just might be able to return Yugi to this time." Arthur finished, and Yoshimori decided it was time to stop thinking.

"Oh. Okay then."

"We need to get back to the Game Shop. Rebecca has the layout of the ritual on her laptop." Arthur said, already moving to the exit at a fast pace. Sugoroku fast on his heels.

"Yoshimori, are you coming?" Sugoroku asked, just before he left the room, and Yoshimori found he barely had the strength to look up.

"Nah, you go ahead with out me."

Sugoroku shrugged, and then was gone.

_I need a beer._

XXXX

_I have no idea what I'm doing…_ Yugi realized with a cold fear as he stared up at the darkened slab of stone, empty now of the image that had once been there. _How can I even hope to lock away this evil? _Yugi wondered a little frantic, most his fear had ebbed away with his still free flowing blood. It was a minor miracle that he was still alive actually, having been bleeding for such a long time. Yugi's vision was starting to blur, and his body was desperately cold even though he knew the tomb should have been warm, regardless of the shadows that poured from the stone before him.

_Damn it! I don't know what to do! I thought that Yami sacrificed himself for his people… so why…? _Yugi sighed, actually not that sad with the thought of dying in Atemu's place. He desperately wanted to be with him, to stay with him, to meet him n the future and fall in love all over again, but more than that, he wanted Atemu, his Yami, to live.

Tears stung the backs of his eyes, and Yugi blinked to try and keep them back, but it only seemed to make it worse, and soon he was crying silently in the dark void of peril. _I'll never see you again… will I?_

Yugi gave a water-logged laugh, his back burning and aching at the sound and movement and Yugi hissed closing his eyes tightly against the pain. _I have to hurry if I'm going to do this…_

Looking back up Yugi contemplated just what he needed to do. His puzzle pulsed against him, as if calling to him, and Yugi glanced down at the bright object, a smile slowly building on his face. _I guess I'll just have to trust you huh? Yami used your power once, I should be able to do the same._

Nodding, Yugi concentrated on the stone slab before him. What to do? Amethyst widened in sudden understanding as he peered at the stone 'card.'

The _only_ card.

_That's it! Exodia's too strong because its whole. That's why in Duel Monsters Exodia was broken into five pieces, bound I gold chains._ Yugi smiled, tears still running from his eyes as he lifted his hands—the puzzle glowing brightly against his chest—and closed his eyes, his palms pressed against the biting stone, face wet with regret and yet his heart was amazingly hopeful.

"Change." Yugi breathed through lips that tasted of rust, his mind picturing the five separate cards he'd lost from the trip out to Pegasus's Duelist Island.

The puzzle burnt against his chest painfully, lighting the area momentarily in a blinding, binding light, and then it all vanished. Yugi gasped as what little heat he still had was torn from him harshly, and a deep blackness swept in to take its place, bringing with it a sharp agony that torn into his mind shattering his tears behind his eyes, and forcing blood from the corners of his eyes.

_Aibou!_

For a moment Yugi thought he heard Yami's voice in his head, but the pain drowned it out soon after. The scream that escaped him was desperate and blood-curling, freezing the sneaking shadow that had been slinking up behind him through the darkness, and making the small form quake at the mere sound, no longer able to move as the shadows rushed out of the stone slab, engulfing the room into his world. The darkness swarmed into the cuts that littered the small stalkers frame, traveling through his unguarded mind and easily breaking it under its weighted pressure.

He never had the chance to cry out.

XXXX

The wind was harsh on his face as it tore across his body, twisting the cloth around him, causing his hair to whip his cheeks, but he refused to slow. The horse beneath him panted, frothing at its muzzle as Atemu forced his animal to hurry.

Behind him Mahado and Jonoh followed close, their horses just as tired and worked as his own. How it was that it was only the three of them going out into the danger, Atemu was unsure, but it was an easy assumption that Jonoh had understood the tenderness of this situation, if not from the discussion before their departure then from the state that the stables had been in.

_The room was destroyed and held splatter of blood upon the stone and wooden stalls, the straw, and the wooden, pitchfork in the corner, one of its prongs soaked through and a deep black. Atemu didn't even want to know why it was that Mahado cringed after seeing that, instead focusing on the horses Jonoh had set out._

_ "Someone was attacked in here." Jonoh stated, handing over one of Atemu's newer gift stallions. Before he could question it, Jonoh had turned to his own horse. "It seems that your prize horse is missing, I'm assuming that whoever won that fight took off with it, and the looser followed after on Seth's horse." Jonoh cringed, and with good reason. After losing The Blue Eyes in battle, Atemu wouldn't want to tell his cousin his horse was missing as well. He just hoped Seth wouldn't kill the messenger that he was sure Jonoh had sent._

_ "Let's go, we don't have time to wait." No one questioned him as they settled onto their horses, taking off into the still dark sands of Khemet._

The edge of the darkness was settled across the horizon, and in the distance, Atemu could just make out the shape of the Temple of Apep. His breath released slowly after having been trapped in the nervous knots that made up his chest cavity for the long hours he'd spent riding his horse into the ground. Without the sun, it was hard to tell what time of day it was, but from the strip in the distance, Atemu guessed late afternoon. His spine tingled with tension, becoming an almost physical pain as he drew closer to the place Yugi had supposedly run off to, trying to ignore the hum of complicated magic that echoed on the air and wrapped itself around all those present.

_No, please Ra, no do not take him from me. This is all that I ask for, for myself. Do not take this away… _Atemu thought, his heels striking the sides of his weary hose harshly, and his beast stumbled in its attempt to comply with Atemu's wishes.

_Yugi, why? Why did you leave, what possessed you to come here? What did I do to make you choose such a foolish task? Damn it, you can't leave me, I won't let you! You're mine, do you hear me?_ Atemu's cries were again unanswered, not that he expected otherwise.

A shift in the air startled Atemu's horse and it through the teen from his perch. The sudden lurch startled Atemu, and he gasped as he felt himself careen through the air as though weightless. For a moment, everything seemed to stop: frozen in some terrible nightmare. He could feel the wind around his body, and the magic crackling in his ears. He saw the sky, clouded in darkness, watched as it flickered, becoming just a shade brighter. He had enough time to wonder at the change and focus on the worried cries of his companions, before time resumed and he crashed painfully into the sand.

His skin burned as the granules bit and scrapped against his flesh, and Atemu gritted his teeth, holding his injured shoulder, trying to regain the breath that was knocked forcibly from his lungs from the impact.

"s3 nt sAb…"

"Atemu!" Jonoh's and Mahado's cries seemed to blur together to his ears, and Atemu shook his head, not understanding the annoying ringing that seemed to pierce through him.

"…what… happened?" Atemu asked, the sound growing louder as he attempted to sit up. The continued annoyance made his heart race a little faster with worry, and he turned to face his guard and priest.

Both of them were holding their ears, obviously trying to block out whatever it was Atemu was hearing.

"A magic spike." Mahado called over the rising noise, and Atemu felt his heart clench in his chest, noticing for the first time, the dragging sensation of the wind. It was pulling toward the distant temple, and it wasn't the only thing being dragged.

"The clouds!" Jonoh cried, his gold eyes looking horrified as he pointed to the quickly fading darkness. Like trendles of smoke, the darkness of Exodia's power was being drawn away and back into the temple.

"Yugi!" Atemu cried, ignoring the grappling hands that tried to keep him seated as he clamored toward the temple, his hands sweating in anxious fear, his legs trembling under him.

"pr-aA! Stop, its too dangerous, all that darkness… not even you could survive that!" Mahado called, quickly catching up to Atemu, grabbing him around the waist to hold him still.

"Let go, Mahado! Yug's in there! He's _inside there_!" Atemu yelled, the cry bitter to his tongue as the grip refused to slacken, his struggling only bringing him more pain as the taller man lifted him from the ground. "I order you to let! ME! GO!" Atemu growled, striking back with his head, catching Mahado in the side of the head.

Mahado bit out a curse, dropping him, and Atemu landing on his feet kicking off in a dead run. His feet sunk into the slippery sand, tripping him slightly and forcing more effort into each and every move, making his every breath painful as a stitch made itself known.

I can't stop, Yugi please… Heba don't leave me, don't go!

Atemu cried out as a solid force slammed into him from behind tackling him to the sand. Atemu coughed, spiting out the gritty sand and attempting to shake the heavy form off his body, but rough hands shoved him back down trapping him. "Let me go! Ra damn it, Yugi's going to—"

"Die." Jonoh's voice was cold and unrelenting, and Atemu froze his entire form chilling as ice wrapped around his heart. "I'm sorry, but Khemet cannot lose you, pr-aA. I can't let you go there… I can't lose Seth to the throne…" Jonoh ended in a broken whisper, betraying his heartache and fear. His fear of losing his love to the restrictions that the throne gave, the need to produce and heir and deal with every problem the kingdom faced; his pain of having to hold Atemu back from saving Yugi, and becoming the enemy in order to save the future of Khemet.

Atemu understood his reasons, he knew what it would mean if his people lost him now, after just having settled into a semi comfortable life, the Roman threat, and now Exodia. To lose their ruler now would shatter them, even if Seth was there to pick of the pieces, but he couldn't just abandon Yugi, not after everything he'd said.

Not after Yugi made this reckless decision to save him.

_Damn it, little one I know you well enough to know… to know when you're trying to protect me! Why, why do you…_

"Let go! Let go of me Jonoh!"

"No. I'm sorry, Atemu, but I can't let you do this." The hands tightened on Atemu's wrists from where Jonoh had twisted his arms behind his back to pin him to the unforgiving sand.

The ringing grew sharper as the magic swirled higher, coming to a climax, and Atemu's insides wrenched, loosening pain filled liquid from his eyes. "I Have to go to him! Let me go! I LOVE HIM!" Atemu's gut-wrenching scream echoed on the mixed air and struck cold in the hearts of the two that stood beside him, and held him prisoner. Atemu choked, straining and twisting to break through, but Jonoh's grip held firm.

"I'm sorry…" His voice was small and filled with anguish, but unrelenting.

Atemu's scream tore at his throats and cursed the mixed air around him as he struggled against the arms that held him, while the ringing spiraled higher in pitch, the darkness strangled from the sky, sucked back into the temple with a popping sound. For a moment there was silence, as the sun warmed the sands that ha been cold for far too long, and then the sound of the wind returned calm and gentle: full of life.

It was over.

XXXX

The darkness was a sudden shock, as it pulled him into its frigid embrace, as echoless, bodiless, voices whispered to him, attacking, clawing, fleeing, touching him and his light. Yugi shivered, as his pain slowly faded to a dull throb, one he recognized from the times Yami had taken over his body and thrown him into his soul room. Fearfully, Yugi wondered what had happened to his body, and how long he could survive outside of it.

The recognizable pressure pressed down against his mind, and Yugi drew his arms around himself in an attempt to block the angered, and vengeful spirits from attempting to drag his light into their depths to be devoured. Wide frightened eyes looked around the darkness: the compilation of hate and sorrow turned into a physical entity, realizing where it was he'd been drawn into. _The Shadow Realm…_

The shadows shifted, moving around him like a crazed merry-go-round, the whispering voices: wordless and cold, a sick calliope to follow the image. Yugi shivered, his stomach twisting at the strain this hatred was placing on him. The sounds of Ushio's threats followed him in the darkness, and Yugi whimpered attempting to forget the pain and fear the shadows tried to dredge up inside of him. _How… how did Yami survive this? _Yugi wondered, terrified as the shadows drew close again, only to be violently repelled by a bright glow.

Looking down, Yugi found the millennium puzzle around his neck. It was glowing brightly, the edges blurred as if fading away into the darkness, like clouds. Yugi's eyes widened in awe at the sight, his hands lifting to hold the puzzle, and smiled when the warmth spread through his arms and settle comfortingly in his heart.

_It's okay… it's going to be okay._

Yugi smiled, allowing his fear to escape him, focusing on the tense darkness around him, searching out the darkest point and sending the light out to tie the blackness up.

The darkness tore away harshly and it physically hurt Yugi as it tried to escape him, and the voices drew close once more, pressing in on him drawing up every painful memory he held and trying to drown him in them.

He saw Jonouchi and Honda picking on him, Bakura's insane games, Death-T and Honda's near death, Pegasus's island, Malik's tortured games, Doom and Yami's betrayal… A car…

Yugi gasped loosing his concentration, his eyes drifting unfocused as he viewed his deepest nightmare gain from the passenger seat of his family's car.

Rain pelted the window, streaking down in horizontal bands over the glass. The small child smiled, reaching up to feel the cold glass beneath his fingertips. His father was talking on the cell phone to his mother. Yugi smiled, turning when they came to a red light, reaching out for the phone. His father's smile was soft as he handed the phone over, and Yugi awkwardly held the phone to his ear, babbling in the way only a child could to his mother.

_ The light turned green, and his father pulled forward… bright lights shone from outside his father's window, catching the boy's eye. Turning he watched as his father spun, covering his small frame as the car crashed into their side, sending glass and blood flying over the tiny form in the passenger seat, the black phone falling from clumsy fingers as his world spun, landing coldly in a silent bloody mess, his father's body heavy upon him, thick warmth coating him in an eerie embrace._

"AHH!" Yugi screamed, trying to escape from the images the shadows showed him, images he'd tried to bury: tried to forget. The puzzle pulled back from its job slightly, sending a calming sensation to him, and Yugi desperately clung to it, tears erupting in his eyes as the shadows doubled their attempts bringing up his recent abandonment of Atemu.

Shaking, weak and tired, Yugi focused the light ball of mist—all that was left of the millennium Puzzle—onto the still fighting darkness. _Pain... is a part o life… I'm sorry Atemu… Yami… but I have to leave. I love you… I love you…_

_ "It's time to let go. Let that feeling guide your light, let the darkness be trapped, let this end." _Yugi knew that voice, but his mind was too fuzzy to think to hard on the richly accented voice. It sounded almost like…

"Shadi…"

Something snapped free, suddenly the dull ache from his body was missing completely and Yugi jolted as the mist glowed fiercely, shooting out into the darkness. Yugi could feel the angered scream as Exodia was suddenly embossed in golden shackles. The shadows screeched in rage, turning on him now that the light was gone and Yugi sighed, eyes drifting closed, oddly at peace.

The shadows passed right through him, somehow missing him as a dim light broke through the endlessness and Yugi collapsed into the warmth that well from that small light, drifting through the nothingness a small ember in the night.

_Atemu… _Yugi thought, sensing the distraught mind of his other, and felt a soft ache in his chest as the bright mind dulled in pain. Reaching out, it was surprisingly easy to brush against that glorious mind, and once in contact he felt the part of that soul that was him shift awake at the intrusion—so young and confused touching Yugi with curious caresses—and Yugi smiled. He wasn't really leaving Atemu that comforted him a little.

_I love you, my Pharaoh._

Atemu's mind jerked responding to the intruding thought that did not belong to him, just as Yugi's mind faded away into the darkness, his light winking out completely, vanishing with a breath of fresh air.

And he couldn't help but feel like this had happened before.

XXXX

The room was silent as the teenagers hung around in the kitchen unwilling to speak after Yami's sudden cry and collapse. They'd moved him to Yugi's bed when he'd completely blacked out, from the pain in his head, or maybe just the images that had been flashing before his eyes, and now found no real reason to talk. Even Rebecca had grown silent, and Jonouchi sighed, leaning more heavily against the coffee table. _We're just lucky Yugi's mom hasn't figured out about Yugi. _Jonouchi thought, listening to the soft typing that engulfed the room.

Rebecca's idea had sounded so good, but in light of what Yami had said, it seemed that the plan had come too late. Jonouchi sighed, stretching to look at the small blond who seemed so fixated on his best friend, and wondered what she'd say if she knew about Yami's hidden feelings. He shook the thought off, standing and walked off in the direction of the stairs.

"Jou?" Honda asked, his voice surprisingly calm after the storm he'd wrapped himself in, and Jonouchi shot him a smile, it was fake and hurt him to make it, but everyone was showing those smiles and Honda seemed to understand as he relaxed back into his seat.

"I'm just going to go check on Yams." Jonouchi answered, not missing the way Anzu tensed and Honda looked away for the first time aware of just what the spirit had been going through alone.

"Oh."

"Don't bother, he's not going to be awake, besides, we need to discuss the plan Grandpa found." Rebecca said, not meaning to sound so cruel but sounding so all the same. Jonouchi scowled, not liking her bossy attitude.

"I ain't discussing nothing until Yami wakes up." He snapped, catching as those green eyes snapped up to his in shock.

"But—"

"Look, it's great that we have a chance to get Yugi back, but they've shared a body for so long… this plan of yours seems dangerous, especially since Isis didn't find it when Se—Kaiba went out there looking for an answer. If she didn't offer it then, I don't think it's such a good idea."

Anzu and Honda remained quiet, keeping their thoughts to themselves, but Jonouchi didn't need them to state his opinion on the matter and held the little girl's gaze with his own; her glare nothing compared to Seto's.

"What do you mean? This could give Yugi his own body! This could—"

"He already has his own body, and I think both him and Yami'll agree that they don't want that to change." Jonouchi didn't wait to see if Rebecca would fight back, as he ascended the stairs that led to Yugi's room.

The halls were dark and quiet, it unnerved Jonouchi the way his footfalls seemed to echo back to him off of the walls. The tiny room at the end seemed the same as it always did, messy and filled with toys, but it had grown cold. Jonouchi tried not to flinch when the hinges creaked as he nudged the door open to look in on the sleeping occupant of the room.

Yami's face was scrunched up as if in pain, and Jonouchi shuddered, feeling bad for his friend, having to remember such horrible things even as he slept.

"I'm sorry, man. I can't do much for ya here, but, you have to hold on. You just have to." Jonouchi wasn't sure if he was speaking to Yami or Yugi then as he moved into the room pulling the blankets up around Yami's shoulders before pulling up a seat beside the bed to wait Yami's awakening.

Looking over the desk, Jonouchi found a small list, made before Yugi's disappearance—unless the date at the top was wrong—and felt lump in his throat choke him.

_List to do:_

_- write Malik about the final battle_

_- write to Ryo and ask him how England is_

_-give Jou the new set of Duel Monster cards for birthday_

_-ask Anzu for help on English paper_

_-ask Ryo about drea-_

It ended on a squiggle, showing he must have been interrupted or simply lost interest in his own project.

Lifting a tired hand Jonouchi touched the paper, feeling as though he was losing something just past his fingertips, and traced the words his best friend had left behind. _Yugi… come back. You can't leave us, we all deed ya, your pharaoh the most._ Jonouchi thought, crossing his arms to burry his face in them over the slip of paper. _… but I need ya too… Yugi._

On the bed, trapped in his own memories, Yami shifted, his breath coming in slow ragged sounds as tears leaked from his eyes. He was unable to turn away as the moment in history played out before his eyes, reminding just what he'd lost in that life, what he'd forgotten for so long.

_ The room was filled with the dying light of the sun, seeping in through the holes in the temple ceiling painting the room a deep red, the day leaving on the cold wings of ravens; Anubis claiming another soul._

_ Atemu stood shaking, crimson eyes overflowing with tears that he couldn't seem to stop as he took in the scene he'd come to once the magic had calmed and Jonoh and Mahado had allowed him to enter. There, upon the alter, soaked black with his deep blood, was the small form of his little light. His dark blue clothes clinging to his body, stained and torn slightly, making his pale face seem even more stark against the darker colors._

_ A soft sound of pain escaped him as he numbly approached the still figure that was crumpled before five new tablets where one had once rested. His legs felt like led as he climbed the stairs hardly aware of the blood that trickled off of them, nor the body of Fastosus resting at the bottom of the steps—eyes burnt out of their sockets and mouth open in a silent scream—as he came to rest before Yugi._

_ He looked so peaceful, almost as though asleep upon the stone, cheeks damp with drying tears, of salt and blood. The crimson stain destroyed the false image and shook Atemu's strength from his legs. The stone bit into Atemu's knees as he sunk to the alter floor, his hands shaking as he reached out toward that beautiful, still, death-filled face. _

No… Yugi, come back. I command you to come back! You're my light, my ari, my… my…

_ His fingertips met the soft skin that was icy with the chill only death could ever instill into things. He choked, running his darkly tanned fingertips through the dark tears upon Yugi's face, smearing the red like colored ink and Atemu collapsed, his tears overtaking his vision completely. With a muted cry that belittled the ache in his heart, Atemu wrenched the boy into his arms, burying his face into the soft shoulder, but the comforting smell of the ocean wasn't there anymore, and Atemu let out an inhuman cry of anguish, his whole body shaking with his sobs. Warm tears ran over the chilled skin of the still boy, and still he refused to wake. _Yugi… I'm sorry… I wasn't… I wasn't…_ He choked only now able to apologize to the small form that had never heard the words he'd been too proud to state before._

_ "Yugi…. So sorry… Love you… please… don't…" Atemu broke off unable to continue as his entire world fell to pieces around him and he had no way of putting it back together. How he'd survived without Yugi, he couldn't remember, and now he wasn't sure that he wanted to._

_ "pr-aA…" Jonoh froze at the sudden silence that filled the room as Atemu lifted his broken, tear-streaked face from the still lifeless body of his love, looking back at his guard and priest. Both looked away quickly, and Atemu slowly looked back to the five tablets, each containing a piece of Exodia. Every part of him bound in chains of light._

_Why did he get to have Yugi with him?_

_ Looking back down, Atemu caressed Yugi's face, lips still mouthing the words he'd never said, whispering it into the boy's skin as though he could tattoo them to his missing soul. "I love you… I love you… I love you…I'm sorry…antyw iwt. antyw iwt…"_

_ Lips brushing the cool ones one last time Atemu sobbed, continuing to rock the small form from side to side, missing the child the way only the soul could miss a piece of its self. _

_ As Jonoh and Mahado came to stand by his side, most likely to urge him to return, Atemu grew deadly still, his tears running silent, as that deep numbness set it, almost making Atemu miss the pain, because the pain was all he had left of Yugi to cling to._

_ "pr-aA," it seemed they both knew Atemu didn't want them being informal with him. "It's getting dark…"_

_ "I hate you."_

_ Neither argued that fact, as the light died from the world—to some—never to rise again._

I love you… My Pharaoh.

(End Song: "Better Than Me"- Hinder)

_I think you can do much better than me  
After all the lies that I made you believe  
Guilt kicks in and I start to see  
The edge of the bed  
Where your nightgown used to be  
I told myself I won't miss you  
But I remembered  
What it feels like beside you_

_I really miss your hair in my face  
And the way your innocence tastes  
And I think you should know this  
You deserve much better than me_

While looking through your old box of notes  
I found those pictures I took  
That you were looking for  
If there's one memory I don't want to lose  
That time at the mall  
You and me in the dressing room  
I told myself I won't miss you  
But I remembered  
What it feels like beside you  


_I really miss your hair in my face  
And the way your innocence tastes  
And I think you should know this  
You deserve much better than me_

The bed I'm lying in is getting colder  
Wish I never would've said it's over  
And I can't pretend... I won't think about you when I'm older  
Cause we never really had our closure  
This can't be the end  


_I really miss your hair in my face  
And the way your innocence tastes  
And I think you should know this  
You deserve much better than me  
_

_I really miss your hair in my face  
And the way your innocence tastes  
And I think you should know this  
You deserve much better than me  
(And I think you should know this)  
(You deserve much better than me)_

A.N. The special ending song is by Hinder, called "Better Than Me." And I felt it fit very well.

Translations:

s3 nt sAb: Son of a jackle

antyw iwt: My wrongdoing

**Please Review!**


	17. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

There was blackness. It shifted to odd shades of violet and navy at times, and if he stayed still for a long enough, Yugi was certain he could hear muffled voices, but he wasn't sure, and he didn't care.

He just, floated, distantly aware that time was slipping past him at a quick and rapid rate, but he just couldn't find the will or the strength to try and figure out the concept of time. He could barely open his eyes, and when he did all he ever saw was darkness. Floating was so much simpler.

The voices were back, they sounded worried, hopeful, and some sounded resigned and angry. When the voices came, he was often coaxed into opening his weary eyes to stare at the blankness around him, most often because the voices were entertaining. It was fun trying to imagine what the voices were talking about, and where they were standing, why they were discussing it. Just useless ponderings like that.

The voices grew quiet, and Yugi let his eyes drift shut once more: tired and exhausted. He would have complained about his afterlife had he had the strength to resent his predicament, but he didn't.

Yugi curled himself closer into the fetal position, conserving what little warmth that remained, and rested. His hands traced the place where his puzzle had once been, missing its light and warmth. His chest felt cold now, somehow hollow. It made Yugi wish for tears to cry, but like everything else it was simply too much effort to bring forth the liquid pain.

He didn't like being alone.

Something changed in his landscape, and for a long while Yugi was unsure just what it was. His eyes still closed, he reached with his mind searching the shadows, but it seemed the darkness wasn't even there.

A touch: warm, soft, and gentle; upon his cheek lifted Yugi's tired lids and he found the darkness had faded in front of one bright, golden being before him.

"Yami?" He questioned in a wisp-thin voice, and the light-shaped figure seemed to smile, shaking its head. The sound of the ocean filled his thoughts as the being spoke, its words inconsequential in that moment. Yugi relaxed regardless, getting the feeling of recognition from the being before him, and trusting it implicitly.

One, tiny, golden hand reached out for his own, offering him freedom from his self-imposed prison, and Yugi desperately wished to accept, but the memory of why he was there held him back.

"I can't… Exodia will…"

~_Exodia is already gone._~ A deep, resonate voice filled Yugi's mind and the shadows alike. Startled, Yugi looked past the being of light, realizing for the first time that there was another being behind the other, standing regally as though protecting the light from the darkness.

The being was imposing, dressed in several different colored cloths, silver and gold twined jewelry adorning his wrists, neck, and forehead. He had a long beard on a thin face, and oddly enough wore a skull upon his head like some sort of base-ball cap. Something about the last two details nagged on Yugi's mind, and his eyes instinctively traveled to his hands where he held an anhk, was, and djed. Unable to remember where it was that he knew this man from, Yugi glanced back to the man's face. His eyes were a deep endless black that should have frightened Yugi, yet held him trapped in awe.

"… how?" Yugi asked, not doubting the man's words to be true, some how he had the impression that the man behind the light knew just about everything.

~_The Pharaoh has sealed the darkness within himself. Exodia had been stripped of his comrades, placed souly in you. He has no more power, you are safe to leave now._~ The voice seemed almost kind, as the man nodded to the hand the light still held out towards him.

Yugi wasn't quite sure he understood what was happening, like with the battle against Exodia, but he didn't want to argue. So, reaching out a cautious hand he grasped the light. Warmth spread through him quickly, the contact revitalizing him, reminding him of who and what he was. His palm tingled as his mind seemed to meld with the being before him, sending him flashes of De Ja Vu.

Yugi grinned, passed the place of shock and disbelief, and watched as amethyst eyes became clear upon the golden face before him. "Hello."

The being seemed to laugh.

Turning, the newly freed light dragged Yugi toward the bright doorway in the faded darkness, and Yugi allowed himself to be taken, no longer concerned with imposing man behind him, that reached out and brushed his shoulder gently as he passed as though wishing him good luck.

As they drew closer, Yugi had to squint as the brightness blinded him momentarily and nearly missed the shaded figure in the doorway.

"It is time. The power has been brought into balance once more. The time of reckoning is at hand." The Egyptian holding the millennium scales said, his blue, pupil-less, eyes looking just the slightest bit excited.

"Shadi?" Yugi asked in mild shock as the light released his hand, stepping away just outside of the darkened door way. Yugi watched as the young soul stepped up to the oddly dressed man, who was currently looking towards Shadi, and Yugi heard the sound of shifting clothes as the Egyptian bowed low.

"We are eternally grateful Ptah, for your magnificence and aid."

Yugi's jaw hit the floor. _Ptah? As in the freakin' god of creation, Ptah?_ Yugi thought, watching the light dissolve into more giggles catching Yugi's disbelief, and the God turned those searching eyes to his own.

The intensity of his stare brought Yugi into his own bow, fearful of what the god might do if he was angered.

~_Do not thank me yet, mortal. I have yet to consider your final request._~

Yugi's head snapped up at the words that spilled from the supposed god, and found the equivalent of a smirk on his face. Yugi wasn't sure if that was a smirk of malevolence or a joke, but wasn't given the chance to figure out, as Shadi grabbed his arm in a tight grip and pulled him away.

Yugi was shocked at the contact. As far as he could remember, Shadi had never physically touched anyone—with the exception of his shoving Pegasus's Millennium Eye into his socket—and seemed like the kind of person who would avoid such familiarity at all costs.

"Uh, Sha—"

"Do not question the gods, nor our fortune." Shadi interrupted him then, lifting the scales up. The unbalanced gold seemed to shift, resting at equal places on symmetrical sides, and again Yugi found himself encased in burning, golden, light.

_ "Aibou, you are my Aibou. My Partner, my light."_

_ "Aibou?"_

_ "Yes, you are the missing part of my soul."_

Tears stung Yugi's spiritual eye, but nothing fell, a he reached out for that voice, recognizing the words spoken, and craving the invading voice in his own mind that proved that Yugi was not alone, and in a moment he was no longer in the odd place of memories, shadows, and light, no longer with Shadi, Ptah, or his past self.

Finally, Yugi was home.

XXXX

There was a sharp burning ache that stole his breath from his lungs and made his head throb with residual pain. Slowly, he was dragged from his numbing slumber against his will and into consciousness.

Yami, scrunched his face up, finally awake after being trapped in his spiraling, hated memories. His cries had long ago left a bitter taste in his mouth in his attempt to deny what he knew was the truth. That mummy resting in his coffin beside him in the museum was enough proof that Yugi had indeed died, and his own tears after his reawakening into the world—tears he'd not been able to explain before now—only made him believe that Yugi's death had in fact been a horrid reality.

… _Aibou…_ Yami thought, his chest aching, as red eyes eased open, prepared to face the cold bedroom that his light had once lived in.

Cold stone clouded with darkness that seeped in from the craggy corners of stairs and halls that ran out in a mind-boggling maze before him. Blinking in confusion, Yami shot up on his bed. Yugi had insisted that Yami needed his own bed in his soul room after the first time Yugi had been invited in, and had refused to leave until Yami either chose to sleep in his soul room bed or create his own. _What am I dong here? Why am I…_

An almost painful hope beat through his heart and ripped at his soul. Yami swallowed thickly, slipping from his bed, feeling the residual heat he would remember until the day he ceased to exist. Unable to breath properly, Yami stumbled through the twisting Esther room of the puzzle to the steel door that led to the ever-blackened hallway between the two souls that dwelt in the same body in symbiotic relations.

His heart thrummed nervously, as he kept his senses inward, not wanting to wreak the hope he felt by reaching out to a link that would run silent. Blood colored eyes scanned the chipped door of his prison. Yami wanted to push against it, to check if what he felt was real, but he feared that the metal would remain cool to his touch, that nothing would have changed.

Swallowing again, not ready, he lifted a quaking hand to the metal that felt only marginally warm to his hand, and felt his hope falter. _What if you aren't there, Aibou… what if you are lost in the shadows, part of them, no longer there at all?_

Gritting his teeth, Yami pressed his weight against the door, sliding it open on its silent hinges, and he desperately wished that the door would have screeched in anger at the action if only to avert his mind from what he desperately wished to be so.

Yami stood in the doorway to his soul room; arms limp by his sides, his body unsure of what to feel as he stood on the precipice of the darkness. The endless halls echoed with the sound of the body's heartbeat, the rasping breath as the body slept, devoid of a consciousness, resting in a coma-like state waiting for one of its occupants to return to control it. The dim light from Yami's soul room, was muted and nearly extinguished by the glow that filtered from across the hallway.

From a propped open doorway, that was brightly lit with pale walls and carpet strewn with toys and game pieces.

For the longest time, Yami could only stare, unsure if he was dreaming, and then—as though in a haze—Yami stepped across the dismal passageway and into the room before him, his breath held tight in his chest.

Aibou… Yugi…

There was hazy feeling of recognition from a mind outside of his own, and Yami breathed out with relief, as he stepped fully into his light's room.

XXXX

"Do you have to do this?" Saimun asked sounded more subdued than Atemu had ever heard before.

"This is perfect, your ideas for my resting place were indeed brilliance, Saimun." Atemu responded, refusing to answer his adviser's question. Everyone was aware that there was no other way to save Khemet, just as Saimun, Jonoh, Seth, and Mahado already knew that Atemu was more than happy to sacrifice himself for his people.

It wasn't really a joy, but more of an acceptance of sorts. Though death no longer frightened him. Yugi was waiting on the other side of Aker's gate, and even if he was not to die, Yugi had said that they would meet in his future, Atemu just had to believe in Yugi. So, this decision was not so hard.

"pr-aA…" The elderly man sounded so distraught at the thought of losing his young ruler, of outliving both the father and son.

Atemu gave the short man a soft look, his lips quirking up into a soft smirk. "Now don't start Saimun, you know as well as I do that that tear between this world and the shadows won't mend itself."

The advisor bowed his head, averting his eyes completely. No one wanted to discuss the aftermath that followed Exodia's escape and resealing. The silence that had fallen after Atemu's return, cradling the broken body of the small servant boy whom the gods had refused to save, had yet to lift even after peace was restored.

The frail dancing girl, Anuksu, he thought her name was, vanished from the palace shortly after the news of Yugi's death, Atemu wasn't sure, where she'd gone, but he assumed it was to whatever safe place she had to call her own. The Roman's were killed, the leader, Pragus, dying by Atemu's blade, and afterwards Yugi was prepped for a pharaoh's funeral, and then the tear between the worlds made itself known. _It seemed it did need both of us, Aibou. _Atemu thought, using the term Yugi had been most fond of, as his fingers trailed over the edge of sarcophagus built for Yugi. It would house them both now.

_I'm coming for you, Yugi._ Atemu thought, his fingers brushing over the linen-covered form. Yugi was still not fully prepped for his journey to the other land, though his organs were already removed and resting in his own sacred jars, his body preserved, all that was left was the wrapping. His skin was still soft as Atemu trailed a finger over Yugi's cheek; he still looked like he was merely sleeping. _Wait for me, that's an order my aibou._

"… everything has been done as you've commanded, pr-aA." Mahado's voice sounded almost hallow to Atemu's ears, and it tore him from his thoughts. "Your name has been completely erased from the tablets of time. Your destiny tablets have been entrusted to Ishtar as you commanded, and the symbols have been placed."

Atemu nodded, fingers curling toward his palm. He hadn't spoken a word to Jonoh or his white priest since Exodia's sealing, and he had no intention of doing so now. He was being rather childish, but he didn't much care at the moment. Besides, soon it would no longer matter, his soul would be the holder of all the darkness, and the gods would then grant him his final wish.

It was their deal after all.

_Atemu stood within the temple of Ptah in the holy city of Memphis. The touch of power resonated around him, proof that he was, in fact, connected to the gods. His mortal eyes may have been unable to see them, but he could feel them on the air, and stood proudly in his pain._

_ "I ask as your son, return the boy to me." _

_ There was a murmur on the air, like a soft buzzing that refused to go away, like the gods themselves were discussing his request. Then it stilled as they came to a decision, and all was silent for several long moments, before the regal voice of Ra echoed through his mind._

_ ~This we cannot do.~_

_ Atemu's breath left him suddenly before the words had finished in his mind, and His heart turned to ice once more, his eyes going down to look at the body resting at his feet, blood tears still staining his cheeks._

_ "What do you mean, you cannot?" Atemu was well aware of the insolence he was showing to the creators of the world, and the fact that his questions could grant him eternal damnation, but he honestly stopped caring about that. "Is this task too far out of your powers?"_

_ ~Silence Pharaoh! If you wish to ever see your other half again, I suggest you keep you anger to yourself!~_

_ Atemu's jaw snapped audibly shut, as his fisted hands shook from the rage he felt at his so-called deity- father. "Then why…?"_

_ ~Your light is currently with in you.~ The softer tones of the Queen Goddess, Isis, eased into him, numbing his soul with her words._

_ "What?"_

_ ~He resides within your soul, a part of you.~_

_ Atemu lifted a hand to his chest, placing it over his heart feeling its pulse as though it were Yugi's, his eyes locked on the separate body below him. "I do not understand. He is there, dead, has Osiris not seen him?"_

_ ~I have, but he has already left my realm.~ The God of the underworld answered at Atemu's naming, his voice sounding like the harsh wings of death._

_ "I don't—"_

_ ~It is not your place to understand, Atemu son of Akhenamkhanen.~ Ra sounded displeased with Atemu's questions, and Atemu again clenched his teeth together, grinding them as though he could grind away the power the gods held over him with this action alone. ~Your light has returned, that is all you need to know.~_

_ Atemu nodded, not trusting himself to speak as his rage built up within him. _How was it that my light and I are separated in Yugi's time, if we are one now? If Yugi took my place in the shadows, how is it…

~A danger is coming.~ Isis spoke again, calm and smooth, drawing Atemu back to the discussion he was having, and he looked up in concern. ~We will need you to do our bidding, pr-aA, until the time that the shadows have been appeased. ~

_ Atemu blinked, his mind taking in what he was being told, and began to turn, suddenly coming to a conclusion, and just as swiftly finding a move in this game for himself. "You need me to act as your tool, correct?"_

_ There was a blast of rage from Osiris and Ra at the implications that Atemu placed that the gods would need anything from a mortal being. Somehow Isis seemed to calm them. ~In a manner of speaking, yes. We cannot destroy the shadows, for we have no mortal soul in which to gamble with, and destroying it would cripple the world, so your cooperation is expected.~_

_ Looking down upon Yugi's still form, Atemu came to a decision, his crimson eyes narrowing in conviction as he stood his full height, staring defiantly across the room, hoping that by some fluke he was staring one of the gods in the eye, knowing his eyes spoke of everything he was, everything he felt. _

_His eyes housed his soul._

_ "I will do as you wish, on one condition." There was instant rebellion to his words, and the air became stiflingly hot and physically painful as it rippled with the outraged cries of the gods, but Atemu refused to back down, not blinking from where his eyes remained focused on the one spot that had seemed to stay calm after his outburst._

_ ~You arrogant mortal, I should—~Osiris's threat was cut short as a voice called out to Atemu—stalling all motion and speech as soon as the smooth, deep, words were uttered—and Atemu was pleased to realize that the voice came from before him._

_ ~What would that request of yours be?~ Atemu felt awe, realizing that the voice belonged to none other than Ptah himself, the great creator of all, the world and gods alike._

_ For a split second, Atemu's mouth was cotton dry, and he was unable to speak, but it passed quickly as he thought of amethyst eyes set in an innocent face. "If I give you my life, my soul, to put the shadows away for good, than I wish to live with Yugi, my light, after that. To live with him as we did for the short time he was here with me, together, in mortal bodies capable of loving each other. That is my only request for my soul, my freedom. It is all that I ask, Ptah."_

_ There was silence for such a long time, Atemu feared he had insulted the gods and that they had either left him, or chosen to destroy him and find a new, much more willing, puppet to use in their master plans, but eventually Ptah spoke again, his voice sounding almost amused._

_ ~Then go and complete your end of the bargain. If at the end of your journey you still wish for life, approach me here and I shall consider your fate then.~_

_ Atemu bowed low, his crowned forehead resting against the marbled flooring of the Temple. "I am at your command, gods and goddesses of our world, what you say shall be done."_

_ The air seemed to quake with distaste, but the gods made no comment, merely sending him on his way with the command to set his affairs in order, and create the tablet of destiny that his name should not be written on. In fact it was their wish for him to be erased entirely from the records of time. The command was a painful blow that left his ego harshly wounded, but Atemu nodded all the same._

_ If it would ensure his future with Yugi, he would bare the indignity of this act._

"Saimun," Atemu called, returning from his memories with a small glimmer of hope in his chest.

"pr-aA?"

"I will wait for your return to this world, and it will be you who will beat my shadow games to retrieve my puzzle. I will wait for that time, my soul in darkness, my body with him." Atemu said, tenderly looking down upon Yugi's still face. There was a pregnant pause filled with unease and sadness, as Atemu stepped away from the sarcophagus, and toward the door that would lead him out of his first tomb, the one built just after his rise to power. The second—the one Saimun had intended to turn into a mass of trials and games—was still being completed and would house only his shattered puzzle, but here, in this place, is where he would let his body rest, along side the only one he'd ever wanted more than Khemet.

The one thing he was denied.

"Come, the ritual needs to be performed in the center of your creation Saimun, and time is running out."

The shorter man bowed his head in defeat, his eyes now covered by the headdress that hid all else, Atemu didn't want to know if his advisor was weeping for his life. After all, this was the end, and after his next journey, he still would not wish to join his friends and allies in the after life. He knew, with more certainty than he did about his imminent death, that even if he forgot all else his love for Yugi would remain, and he would never wish to part from him.

"As you wish." Saimun whispered, his voice sounding gratefully steady.

Atemu turned from the room with an unreadable expression on his face. Across the room, standing in the doorframe, Jonoh waited, looking as sedated as the others, though along with the look was a bitter acceptance. _That's right Jonoh, looks like you'll have to accept a woman to touch my cousin… but at least, he's alive._

Crimson eyes narrowed until honey glanced away in guilt.

"The preparations are complete, and Seth is waiting."

Again, Atemu nodded, and stepped from the room.

Its just another step… right Aibou?

The reminder of Yugi's letter to him gave him the strength to walk out of his life and willingly into the shadow's grasp, and with those words, Atemu faced his death unafraid.

XXXXX

Satisfied with the position of the mummies, Saimun tied the soaked linen off. The two persons no longer laying properly together, but now curled around each other, as though sleeping in the afterglow of their love.

"You finished?" Seth griped from the only exit. It was sacrilegious to disturb the dead, and unwrapping the prepared bodies, and removing the sacred items to help them into the afterworld, was defiantly considered desecration. At least, Saimun thought it was, but he felt relatively safe with the new pr-aA watching over the action, not to mention him also being the once high priest.

"Almost." Saimun responded, placing Atemu's most sacred possession in to the sarcophagus, the parchment making a soft scraping sound as it settled. "I just need to reseal the lid." With that comment, Mahado and Jonoh stepped forward, lifting the heavy piece up, and settling it back into place.

A deep sadness settled into the elderly man's heart then, as the bound faces vanished beneath the carved face of the nameless one. It hurt him more to know that he would be forever forgotten after all he'd done, all he'd lost, Atemu would never be remembered. It was of little comfort that Atemu had allowed him to carve in at least a portion of his existence into his resting case. He could only hope he'd written it correctly. All he'd had was the sloppy writing Atemu had left, and the message he'd just tucked away between the lovers. In time the papyrus would crumble and the words would corrode and vanish, taken with the souls into their next life, as they would want it, but that still didn't ease his pain at the finality of the moment.

It was nearly worse than the ritual had been.

Almost.

_ The golden puzzle still shimmered with power and the soul of Khemet's god, even now in the many pieces that rested inside of the golden box, encrypted with message of warning and beckoning._ It is finished._ Saimun thought sadly, setting the priceless artifact on its pedestal at the end of his final trap. _

_The bridge was elegantly carved, calling forth the shadows by name, and writing out the pain Atemu had lived through in the end. The incantation had been an added parting gift from pr-aA Seth, and himself. It was a guarantee that none but himself would pass this final leg of the journey. Somehow his soul would recall the respect needed for such a task, he would have to. _

_ With wet eyes, Saimun turned from the prison and walked down the lonely bridge where both Mahado and Seth waited, holding the shadows at bay for him. From the blank looks on both priest's faces, he knew the image of the sacrificial rite was still fresh in their minds, though Saimun doubted anyone could forget the horrific event even after death._

How Atemu had bared such pain was beyond his understanding, as the gods pulled his soul from his body and split it in half, sealing him in utter darkness for only the Gods knew how long. The old man shuddered, not wishing to remember the blood circle and scriptures written in the stained stone, lit by dying torches…

Mahado shifted the weight of Atemu's soulless body in his arms, the soft strip of cloth bound across his scorched out eyes looking a little askew. Saimun turned his eyes away, not wanting to see it again, and silently followed the two from the pyramid.

Saimun ran a hand over the carved lid of his god's coffin, as though saying goodbye to a son. _It's over now Atemu, may you hold your light for eternity._ The silence of the room unsteadied him, and the advisor quickly moved away from the resting bed of his once king. The light beckoned him from the room, and he allowed himself to be lead away, he was right, it was over. The past remained there in his memories alone, and it was now time to move on into the rule of Seth, pr-aA of Khemet.

"Mahado?" Seth's voice was questioning as the new pr-aA realized that the white priest had yet to leave the tomb. Saimun lowered his head further, feeling uneasy. He had already been aware of what the man had planned to do, that in no way made the explanation any easier.

"Let him be, pr-aA." Saimun said, daring to place his hand on his god's arm, urging him to lower it, and leave the room and white priest to be sealed away together.

Blue eyes narrowed dangerously at him, the once high priest's anger, his upset, palpable. Saimun quickly removed his hand even before Seth spoke, his voice sharp.

"Don't call me that unless it's necessary. pr-aA is my cousin's title, I do not take it willingly; do not pretend that I do." Seth turned then and stomped from the entryway, no longer interested in Mahado's actions, obviously not caring what the white priest intended to do.

"I certainly have my work cut out for me, don't I Mahado?"

There was a light chuckle from the newly settled gloom in the room, and Saimun forced a smile that could not be seen behind his veil as he too left the room, nodding to the guards as he left, indicating that they could now seal the tomb.

For a desperate moment, his chest tightened sickeningly with the urge to turn back, to drag Mahado out with him, but it passed quickly with the resounding sound of stone falling against stone.

Plumb eyes closed wearily. He was too old for this, death almost looked like a relief at this point, and Saimun was certain that he would be happy to see the ebony wings of death as his life was lead to its end and beyond. _I hope you're happy in your choice Mahado. A being of the Shadow Realm is a prisoner of his inner pain. Can you live with the regret of letting that boy die? I guess time will be the one to tell that. _

Without even a glance back, Saimun made his way back to his pharaoh's side, where Jonoh stood proudly by Seth's side, brows creased only slightly in stress as they looked out across the people of Khemet, all in different states of mourning. Saimun had to wonder just what it was that Seth was feeling as he looked over his new responsibility. He had a big pare of shoes to fill, Atemu had given up more for his land and people than any ruler before had, how was one to compare to that?

Jonoh's sun darkened hand reached out and brushed Set's in the lightest of caresses, and the Pharaoh relaxed just slightly, and Saimun sighed. _Here we go again… just like Atemu. _

Time flowed on.

XXXXX

_Darkness consumed the scenery, shifting in tones from violet gray to the deepest of pitch. It moved like a living being, and there for it should have been warm, but it wasn't. It was deepest kind of cold he'd ever known, and it made him sick to his stomach, and he wrapped his arms around himself._

_ The feel of his own skin startled him, and he curled closer in shock to find himself naked. No, not naked, he was wearing his dancing clothes. The soft fabric shifted pleasantly over his legs, as the vest pulled taunt against his back. The wine stain stood out in the shadows and he reached out a finger, touching the dark mark._

_ From the corner of his vision, he saw something out of place: a splash of color against the darkness._

_~Yami!~ Yugi called out, his voice not really coming out as he ran toward the chained being. His royal clothes lay in tatters, his violet cape nothing more than a swath of cloth upon his back. Nothing of his gold adornments remained, and his body was only clothed in his sleep wrap._

_ ~Atemu! Wake up… are you all right?~ No matter how desperately he called, those crimson orbs would not open, and the body would not rise from its defeated position. _

_ Tears sprung to his eyes, angry and hot, scalding him as Yugi embraced the cold figure before him. He pressed his face into the crook of his neck and shoulder, and soaked Atemu's form in his tears. ~Wake up… please…~_

_ Something seemed to call out to him, and it stalled Yugi's tears as he strained to hear the words. The silence came to him again, thicker, and smothering. More tears threatened to fall when it came again, like a fragment of sound, prodding him awake._

_ "Yugi."_

_ He knew that voice, the deep sound that resonated through his thoughts and floated back to him through his soul from the second door in his heart's room._

_ Amethyst eyes opened to the darkness, surprised when the image of Atemu's wounded form did not meet his gaze, but instead the image of his other half, dressed in tight leather, double belts, and a tight top._

_ His breath caught at the image, and Yugi found it hard to think, as soft ruby eyes stared lovingly back at him, and then he was wrapped up in those warm arms, the sweet smell of sand, dirt, and the musk of time—Yami's smell—drowned him in comfort._

_ "Y—yami?" Yugi's voice shook, and those arms encircled him more tightly, Yami's fingers biting into his skin, and curling into his clothes, pulling him close enough to his other to feel his heart beat against his own. _

_ "Yes, Aibou. I'm here."_

_ "Really?"_

_ "Yes… really."_

_ Tears pricked at his eyes, and he smiled into his sobs as his own arms raised to hold his dark half to himself, finally allowing himself to believe that he was safe: he was home._

_ "T—tadaima." Yugi choked out from between his tears and tight throat, his arms shaking, no longer in control of his emotions. He felt Yami's breath, felt his chest expand with the breath he'd drawn in, and the smile that graced his lips as Yami pressed a tender kiss to Yugi's shoulder, his breath warm and moist._

_ "Okairi nasai."_

_Yugi cried._

_ After all, even he knew that Yami couldn't breath, and he most certainly didn't have a heart beat, because Yami was just a soul in his own body, he wasn't really alive._

Yugi's eyes snapped open, already gritty and sore from tears he'd shed in his sleep. Disorientation left him confused, and for a moment he couldn't recognize the light blue, pulsing walls, the small child's bed he lay on, or the toys that lay scattered around the room. He could feel the steady pulse of his heart all around him, and the smells that most comforted him danced on the air.

Slowly he sat up, surprised to find himself dressed in sweats and his old gym shirt. Still in mild shock, his lifted his hands to touch the cloth lifting it a little as his heart raced in painful hope and suffocating denial. _This… no, this couldn't be… I'm… I'm still dreaming. This isn't—_

His door creaked open, as though afraid itself of the frailty of this night illusion. Looking up, Yugi felt his heart wrench painfully at the image he most desired to see, and his fingers curled tighter into his shirt, until the tips had gone numb, and he felt his heart pick up pace, as his walls turned a pale orange in his stress.

It was all so real, so much like it used to be, but he knew, he _knew _it was a dream. It had to be, they always were, and he was certain that, Yami would never cry. Yes, nothing would make his gallant dark break in such away in real life, so that man standing in his soul room door, dressed in identical clothes with tears streaming down his high cheeks was not his dark. _That's right, he's just a memory, nothing more… Yami…_

Yes aibou?

Yugi jumped as the thought came clearly into his mind, sounding shaky and overjoyed, as a matching grin broke over the face of the image of Yami in his doorway, his fingers clinging so tightly to the door frame that the tips had turned a garish white.

Yugi's lips trembled with pain, as his heart lurched with hope—so tatter and worn it was almost broken like an overly-loved toy—and his mind tried to wake him up. He couldn't handle another dream like this.

The dream Yami tilted his head to the side, his tears pooling and dripping from his chin, either unnoticed or uncared for as those crimson eyes refused to even blink and loose sight of him.

The feeling of joy, of pain, regret, and relief flooded through a link that had been silent for far too long, and Yugi trembled from the onslaught of sensations not his own. It was nearly over whelming, like it had been when Yami had first awoken, and Yugi clutched the place in his soul where his heart should have been as the choking hope broke free in the form of his own tears.

_Aibou, please speak to me, I wish to hear you._ That lulling, wise voice stroked his mind and nerves like a pleasant drug, and Yugi collapsed forward curling into himself unable to handle it.

"No… this isn't real… it's its another dream! I—I don't want… gods Yami…" Yugi shook, his whole soul feeling as though he was collapsing in on himself.

Aibou…

"No!" Yugi cried, lifting his head to yell, his eyes pouring tears as he glared to the door only to jump back when he found red staring back at him. The bed dipped from where Yami sat, one leg crossed, his foot resting off the edge of the bed beside his other.

Yugi sucked in a breath as that smiling face filled his vision, a soft had, cupping his cheek, a thumb brushing away his tears. Yami chuckled, sounding a little water logged himself, as he pressed his forehead to Yugi's rocking the crowns of the heads together in a comforting way.

"This… is no dream Aibou. No longer a dream, my light. This is real." Yami said, his words holding no touch of breath to them.

"… honto?" Yugi asked, feeling rather fragile as he begged Yami to tell him that it was real. Again those red eyes gleamed as he sat back, that warm hand slipping from his cheek to rest on his shoulder, fingers squeezing just slightly.

"Yes, Yugi, this really is real." Yami had stopped crying, though his eyes seemed a little more unstable than usual. "But if you want proof…" Yami trailed off, his fingers moving to pinch Yugi's cheek.

"Ow!" Yugi yelped, jerking back, his hand lifting to cup his abused cheek as Yami's laughter and joy flooded through him. This was real after all.

Yami had no breath.

Yami wasn't hugging him.

Yami was _pinching _him.

_It's just like before… after doom… _Yugi's eyes burned with a new kind of tears as he watched Yami calm down from his laughing fit.

"Sorry, Aibou, I couldn't help myself. Besides what else woul—" Yami cut off on a startled gasp as Yugi suddenly launched himself forward and into Yami's arms, his own curling tightly around Yami's middle , his face tucked protectively into Yami's chest.

"A—ibou…?" Yami stuttered, his form tense with shock. It would have been cute, and funny; Yugi would have laughed, had the moment been lighter, but it wasn't, so Yugi settled for pulling closer, and nuzzling into his Yami.

He breathed in deeply, the scent of Yami's soul, and smiled feeling complete for the first time in forever.

Sand, dust, and time… Yami… you're really here.

Of course I am Aibou.

Yugi grinned at Yami's confused thought and even more startled emotions, and then did what he'd imagined doing since he'd first arrived in Yami's past.

"Yami, hold me?"

There was a moment of stillness and then Yami complied, just as Yugi had thought he would, and the feel of those arms, strong and steady around his soul soothed him in ways he'd never thought possible. _Finally… _Yugi began with a sigh, his mind suddenly very tired.

_It's over…_ Yami finished, pulling Yugi completely into his lap and arms, rocking him like his mother used to do. "Aibou."

Yugi smiled, and curled closer to his dark, finally home.

"Tadaima."

Yami smiled, "Okairi nasai."

XXXXX

Jonouchi wasn't sure what had woken him, he didn't even remember falling asleep, but something had and he sat up from his hunched position over the desk. The pesky paper with Yugi's scribbled notes stuck to his cheek for a moment before drifting down to the desk again.

The blond rubbed at his cheek, hoping that no ink was left behind on his face, and stretched with a yawn. His muscles and bones tensed as he pulled them free from their stasis. _Guess I should go back down… _Glancing over at the alarm clock, Jonouchi sighed, realizing that it was nearly two in the morning. Everyone was probably in bed, if the silence was anything to go by, and he doubted much would be said anyway. _Just more crazy talk about giving Yug a new body… he has his own, we just need to get him back in it!_ Jonouchi thought, his eyes moving to the sleeping form on his friend's bed out of habit.

He thought it was the moonlight at first, that made the face look rounder, smoother, paler, but when the boy's nose scrunched up in his sleep, trapping a wayward bang in the skin's creases, Jonouchi couldn't stop the yelp that escaped him as he jumped onto the bed, jerking the previously sleeping boy into his arms in a back breaking hug.

Only one King of Games had that annoying center bang that always hung in his eyes.

"Yug! You're back, oh god, how? Where? When? Don't you ever do that again Yug! D'ya have any idea the hell you put us all through!" Jonouchi yelled, shaking the startled boy harshly. Wide amethyst eyes stared at him in mild shock, as tiny hands rose to grip his arms as a means to stabilize himself.

"J-Jonoh?"

"Jonoh? Who the hell is… wait a minute here, Yug, you do know who I am right?" Jonouchi asked, glaring down his nose at his friend, not wanting his friend to know just how fast his heart was pounding, or how close to crying he really was. After all, guys just didn't sling snot all over their friends.

Yugi blinked quickly, then his eyes glazed over in the way they did when he spoke to the other soul inside of his body. Jonouchi had never been so glad to see that look, and from the joy he could see on Yugi's face as Yami obviously answered him, it made him wonder just how the two felt at the reunion.

"Well, I'm waiting here." Jonouchi said impatiently, sitting back and crossing his arms.

"Jou…" Yugi breathed, his eyes focusing once more, and Jonouchi gave him his half grin cocking his head to the side, pretending that he wasn't dying to quiz his friend to be certain that he was really back and fine.

"Da one an' only."

He was suddenly tackled by his smaller friend, as Yugi glomped him, grinning from ear to ear, his face flushed with relief. "Gods Jou, you have no idea how good it is to see you!"

"Trust me pal, I know how ya feel. All of us do." Jonouchi said, ruffling Yugi's hair as he would have done to Shizuka. "No offence to Yami, but things just aren't the same with out ya."

Yugi pulled back, his smile looking like it could split his face in half, and Jonouchi was reminded of that rainy night in the ally way, where he'd said goodbye to his past. That small boy with the bruised and dirtied face, who wanted nothing more than a friend was still there, the same as he'd ever been, and if what Yami had told him was true, he'd just gone through hell. Yet he still smiled, like this.

His eyes stung, and Jonouchi closed them quickly to quell the on-coming tears. He would _not _cry on Yugi.

"Jou—"

"Jonouchi what are you…" Anzu's sleepy voice broke the moment and Jonouchi gratefully averted his attention as Yugi spotted his friend, and she him.

"Anzu!" Yugi beamed, and just like that the silent stillness that had overcome the brunette shattered, and if his exclamation hadn't already woken the house, her scream did.

He felt Yugi jerk back as Anzu launched herself onto the small bed holding Yugi like she expected him to vanish into the air if she let go, and sobbed openly onto his shoulder.

"Yugi! Yugi! Y—ou're… you… you're r—really back! Oh, Yugi!" Her words were muffled by the clothes she'd buried her face into, and her entire frame shook with her sobs. Awkwardly, Yugi hugged her back, a dark blush covering his cheeks, and a sad guilt in his eyes.

"Anzu-chan…gomen…" Yugi apologized just as the rest of the house wandered into the room. Several more cries filled the space, as Rebecca joined the pile on the bed, squeezing between Anzu and Yugi, pawing at him making sure that her darling was okay.

Honda was quiet. He simply walked over to the bed, glaring down his nose at Yugi until the women had released him. Looking up, Yugi grinned sheepishly up at him, muttering out another sorry, before Honda reached out and yanked Yugi off the bed and into a very un-Honda like hug. It was over as soon as it started and finally Honda smiled giving Yugi a bruising noogie.

"You stink, where'd you run off to, huh? Did you enjoy scaring us like that?"

"Ah, Honda! Stop, s—sorry! I said I was—"

"Yeah, you sorry now?"

Jonouchi leaned back, amazed at how quickly things seemed to repair themselves by just the reappearance of one small person. Not everything was fixed, not by a long shot, and he knew the next couple of months would be a little uncomfortable at best, but for now, everything seemed…

Normal.

"Let go of my Darling!"

"Honda, let Yugi breath!"

"He is breathing can't you see that? Besides, he needs to be punished for that nasty trick!"

"I said I was sorry…"

Jonouchi grinned, his eyes again wandering to the door where Arthur and Sugoroku stood, watching the laughing, squabbling teens. Sugoroku had a look of joy that was muted behind a mask of calm. Sometimes he wondered if the man really had heart problems at all. Nothing ever seemed to rattle his cage, but Jonouchi knew better than that, and Arthur…

He looked disappointed.

_Can't summon you're god now, huh? Well, dem's the breaks then._ Jonouchi thought as his mind drifted to his friends. And with a playful smirk he jumped, tackling the whole group into a messy pile on the bed.

"Dog pile!"

"Jonouchi!"

"Get off me, Jou!"

"Ah, what's wrong with you!"

"… better not let Kaiba hear that."

Jonouchi grinned.

"Shut up Yug."

He was happy when he didn't.

XXXXX

The endless abyss of the shadow realm tore away at his sanity, and slowly he began to forget. Images, dates, time. Useless information, but still things that made up who he'd been: who he was. Atemu sighed, clinging fearfully to those memories most close to his heart: the smell of the sea he'd only seen once, the smell that coated Yugi's being. The color of Yugi's eyes, the sound of his voice. The way Khemet looked at dusk, as the sunset alighted the sand on fire; a golden fire that rippled and danced gloriously into the night. Seth's face when he'd misplaced a scroll. Mahado's expression of boredom as Saimun blathered on about tombs and shadow games. Saimun's kind eyes, always pushing him to stand taller, be stronger; his reminder and aid.

He held onto those things, playing them over in his mind, forcing himself to never forget, as day after day, weeks, months, years, decades, centuries, flew by him. Every so often a ripple in the shadows would occur, and his hope would rise, but it ended swiftly as the beings fell at the first trap. More of his mind was ripped from him, as he lost track of time its self and slowly lost hold of reality. He floated in the darkness, cold and lonely with only a handful of memories to keep him sane, when it finally happened.

The shadows stirred.

He ignored it.

They moved forward in surprise.

They'd done that before a well.

They began to circle, growing interested.

The shadows were so simple at times.

They grew annoyed.

Atemu retreated to his memories.

The rushed out in alarm.

Atemu turned back around.

Someone was on the bridge.

A sharp rush of delight ran through him as he willed himself into the waking plane, the shadows aiding him when one man fell pray to their grasp. They ate away at his mind and soul, toying with him, waiting for the other to fall, and Atemu opened his eyes.

Hanging from the side was Saimun. He looked different, more wild and much younger than Atemu remembered him to be, but his eyes were as kind as they had always been. _Finally, you have come, Saimun. _Atemu thought, looking down on the wounded man, who looked as though he was ready to collapse at any moment, yet he still held stubbornly on. Unwilling to lose in this game, this match that he'd created so many years ago.

Kneeling down, Atemu reached out a hand, his smile kind as he gave aid to his advisor. "_Saimun…I've been waiting." _

Plumb eyes widened, and for a brief moment, Atemu thought he saw a flicker of recognition in them, but it faded soon after as the man reached out to take his hand, and promptly collapsed after being pulled to safety.

Atemu could feel the shadows beckoning him back into their cold embrace, and he resisted only briefly. Saimun had come, that meant Yugi was close, so very close. He could wait, his time imprisoned was almost over, and he still owned his memories, perhaps he would remember this time.

Maybe…

Maybe…

Darkness.

It was everywhere, he could not recall a time when it was not black, cold, and painfully quiet. He didn't know why he waited here, could not guess what it was he waited for. What he was, eluded him from time to time, but the shadows provided him with the knowledge that he was their master, and their prisoner. The silence drove him mad, as the shadows urged him to hate. It was painful, and numbing, but still he held on, because something was outside of his world. Something the shadows both praised and cursed, and it was slowly punching holes in his darkness.

Shades of gray began to appear in the darkness, and sounds slowly made themselves known. Emotions echoed through the halls on wings of death, and he squirmed, desperate to get out, to meet this thing that slowly tore him from his torment, but the being outside was slow to understand, and often gave up, but something was different that day.

Something…

The light was blinding, and burned his skin with heat as he was suddenly torn from the darkness and thrown into the world beyond his prison. He stood in a room, small and filled with items he could not recognize.

He was dressed in soft clothes, and had bandages over his body. When he moved they stung. Annoyed, he glared, using a bit of the shadows magic to cut out the sensation of the pain in his mind, and then noticed the other presence that was there. Intrigued, he moved to the bed, seating the body upon it as the shadows instructed him on how to reach that other being.

The sensation of falling left him dizzy, and he found himself standing in a darkened hall outside of an open doorway. Warm, soothing light poured out of a bright, white room. It had more items, he was certain to be a child's toys, strewn across the floor, not unlike the original room. Except, this room seemed to pulse with calmness, and serenity. Stepping inside, he let the mind of the person who owned this room wash over him.

He knew this mind.

Somehow, he knew the small boy curled on the sheets covered in bruises and cuts. A deep anger and pain welled up for the tiny child—for that was what he was, and child barely yet a man—as he approached him, wondering who had caused this light such pain.

He would have to avenge this child, he decided, but before that he found he needed to hold that sleeping figure. Something called out to him, something he'd long forgotten, but treasured above all else, urged him to the child's bed, and in a moment he was cradling the boy in his arms.

A completeness filled him then, and tears filled his eyes. He'd forgotten how to cry, and even now, was unsure as to why the liquid squeezed from his eyes, but he didn't bother to stop them as he buried his face into the small soft shoulder, instinctively breathing him in.

_WAD-wr… _He cooed in his mind.

The smell of the ocean, he knew this scent.

_Finally…_ He thought, not sure how he knew that this was what he'd been waiting for, _I've found you… ari… no… aibou._

"Aibou."

The word felt good in his mouth.

The boy curled close, and he turned back to the body, leaving the sleeping soul in the bright soul room. He didn't need to know what was to come. He quickly found the memories of the boy's life and soon sought out the culprit for his pain. The being named Ushio would pay dearly.

_He _was hunting.

For his aibou.

XXXXX

When you find this, I'll already be gone from this world. I'm sorry I couldn't stay, but if I don't go, you'll never be safe. Exodia only needs one of us, and for you, this is only the beginning of your story, just another step, so please don't blame yourself. I don't expect you to understand, Atemu, but I hope you know that, I love you. Both now, and in the future as my Yami. Which is why, I have to go. I'm sorry, so sorry, but if you get this in time, please try to change things, and if you still love me in our future, tell me, maybe then you'll get your happy ending.

_~Yugi_

(Ending Theme: Night Flowers)

_ai no kuni wo samayou_

_watashi wo mitsuke dashite_

_tsubasa ni wa mada_

_surikireta hazu no kokoro kakushite_

_watashi no mune wo someta_

_ikusen no hanabira wa_

_kanashii kurai anata wo koishiku saseru_

_mou ichido_

_sugaritsuku shunkan_

_surinukeru maboroshi_

_anata no subete wo ubai saritai_

_itetsuita NAIFU kazashi _[1]

_ai wa mau yoru no hana wo chirashite_

_kowashite, kizutsukete, tojikomete - kokoro sae..._

_motto hageshiku kanjite_

_susuketa ai no kakera_

_korogaru yoru no machi de_

_kakomarete yuku_

_hohoemi kakeru tenshi no tsubasa ni_

_iki mo dekinai hodo_

_anata wo motomete'ru_

_subete ga moetsukite mo kamawanai_

_tokedashita ai wa kotoba _[2]

_kuchibiru wa yoru no hana wo chirashite_

_aishite, iyasarete, tokihanatsu - kokoro sae..._

_motto hageshiku kanjite_

_sadame nara _[3]

_yasuragi mo, nukumori mo iranai_

_itetsuita NAIFU kazashi_

_ai wa mau yoru no hana wo chirashite_

_kowashite, kizutsukete, tojikomete - kokoro sae..._

_motto hageshiku aishite_

**P.S. Ptah is said to be a bearded, mummified man, with a skull cap, and holds in his hands the anhk, was, and ddjed; the symbols for life, power, and stability. (Information taken from: .org/wiki/Ptah) But, I added my own stuff because I thought if I were Yugi, I'd have flipped out at seeing a bearded, mummy. X-X Hope you don't mind.**

Translation:

was: A staff(symbol of power)

djed: the base of a bulls spine (Symbol of stability)

Tadaima: I'm home

Okairi Nasai: Welcome Home

Ari: Partner

WAD-wr: Sea


	18. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

"AHHH! I'm going to be so late!" Yugi cried, practically flying from his bed and into the middle of his room as soon as the whispered words of his other had finally broken through the haze of his dream to remind him of the time. He tripped on some dirty clothes and a few toys that were buried beneath it—nearly slamming into his dresser—as he skidded toward his door, already pealing the pajamas from his body.

"Why didn't you wake me up, Yami?" Yugi cried, already knowing that the spirit of the puzzle had, in fact, done just that nearly a half hour before, and he'd simply chosen to ignore it.

It was a little irksome that Yami didn't seem to want to touch him, and there for hadn't proceeded to body slam him that morning. _How long is this going to last?_ Yugi wondered to himself, pretending he didn't notice the eggshells Yami seemed to walk on around him. It was one thing to worry about someone and be extra cautious, it was an entirely different thing to treat them like glass.

_Probably until you learn to wake up when you are told, Aibou. _Yami answered him, and Yugi still took a moment to close his eyes and enjoy the sensation of his dark back in his mind. He'd taken it for granted before, be was never letting that happen again.

"I didn't mean that, Yami…" Yugi grumbled, quickly falling back into the routine he'd lost for almost six months.

He grabbed the blue uniform trousers from the dirty hamper, and with a quick sniff, decided that they'd be fine for another day, before kicking off his bottoms and grabbing the blazer from the foot of his bed, and the white shirt from under his dresser.

"Gah, where are my boxers?" Yugi cried, turning a circle in the center of his chaotic room, holding articles of clothes, standing in the underwear he'd worn to bed the night before. He could wear the same uniform for a week and not care in the least, but after his adventures in Egypt, Yugi was damned determine to change his underwear twice a day after having to wear the same ones for nearly six months straight. _That was just disgusting… god, I don't care if it was only an astral projection of me… _

_Aibou._

The call brought Yugi back around to face the hazy image of his dark, dressed in his usual dark leather and tank top, his skin paler than Yugi remembered Atemu's to be, and his eyes seemed somehow deeper. Even though the spirit was just sitting casually on his bed, he looked good, and not just in the way Yugi was growing accustomed to noticing.

Sure his Yami looked hot, there was no denying that fact, but the fact that this was his Yami, his _Yami! _Not a portion of him from before he solved the puzzle, but the entire being he'd come to rely and trust in over the last two years of his life. It was just nice to see and feel him that sometimes Yugi couldn't help but stare. Yugi felt a relieved smile creep up his face, until, the spirit reached under the bed and dragged out the one clean pare of boxers he still had.

The dark green, Kuribo printed, boxers swayed back at him mockingly, and Yugi scowled at the amused smirk on Yami's face.

_You looking for these, Aibou?_

Yugi stalked forward and snatched them back with a nod as he dashed back into the bathroom—not only because he was running late—pulling the handle out and drowning out the sound of Yami's amusement with the roar of the shower.

"How does he do that?" Yugi mused to himself, as he removed his shorts and jumped into the chill spray of the water. He shivered, gasping at the temperature change, his arms folding around his waist to conserve body heat. "He always knows where it is…" A kinky and no all that un-welcomed thought came to his mind, and Yugi straightened in the spray. "Is he hiding my underwear?"

_Aibou, what would hiding your boxers gain for me?_

Yugi let out a muffle yelp at the sudden input, and his hands reflexively covered his front. He blushed when he realized what he'd done, and choked on his reply, feeling rather silly. He'd already made love to the spirit, okay, so it was technically his past self, but still, what did he have to be so shy about?

The slight mental wall, Yami had erected between them to give Yugi his space gave the petite duelist the answer to his question, and Yugi rolled his eyes, making sure not to think too hard on that question, least it fly beyond that barrier. _That's right… he's so fricken' afraid of me, its making me edgy… _

A little hurt by his dark's actions since his return, and painful possibility that Yami remembered but no longer wanted him, made Yugi snappish."You're the criminal mastermind, not me."

_Criminal? Aibou, you know I'm not the thief. The tomb robber is._

Yugi sighed, and lathered up his body scrubbing himself clean and enjoying the way the soap and bubbles felt on his skin. The fact that Yami had used the term "the thief," and not "a thief" did not escape him, but Yugi chose not to dwell on suck thoughts, instead focusing on the feeling of the water running through his hair and down his back, cleaning him of all the grime he'd picked up the day before. Even a month after being home he still couldn't get over the joy of feeling completely clean, and wearing normal clothes. "Right, sorry, my mistake… you're just the mastermind behind my hidden underwear."

_Not true, I'm just aware of your habit of kicking the laundry Grandpa brings up, under your bed to avoid actually putting them away. You just forget you do it. _

Yugi blinked, unable to argue that fact, and squeezed a good amount of shampoo into his palm, before attacking his hair. The scrap of his fingernails, and the smell of his no tear, baby shampoo was comforting, and Yugi let his eyes drift shut, reveling in the feel regardless of how late it was getting.

Some things just shouldn't be rushed.

_Aibou, you have five minutes to leave before you'll be too late and they'll lock the school gates._

"No!" Yugi whined, shoving his head under the spray, quickly rinsing it, before shaking it dry and bounding from the shower. Toweling dry in a new record breaking time, Yugi jumped into his clothes and bolted out of the house, a piece of toast hanging from his mouth.

"Yugi!" Sugoroku's call pulled him short as the elderly man came out to hand him his lunch. One weathered hand rested on Yugi's shoulders protectively a moment longer than necessary. Neither spoke of it, and Yami seemed to grow silent with the action, but everyone knew the reason behind it. Hell, everyone was doing it, even Kaiba, as scary as that had been.

Yugi had expected the nervous touches his friends and family gave him whenever possible, just to make sure that he was really there, but Kaiba's random pats to his shoulder were a little starling and scary. Though Yugi guiltily admitted to enjoying the protective growl Yami always gave at the contact, and he was certain that was why he had yet to tell Kaiba to knock it off.

"Don't want to forget this." Sugoroku said, his eyes bright and cheerful. Yugi smiled, still glad that his grandfather recognized him—Saimun had broken his heart when he'd first met the priest, but by that time he'd almost expected those he thought he recognized to not know him, all the same it was a nice change—and was worrying over his eating habits again.

"Thanks Jii-chan." Yugi took the lunch gratefully; staying still longer than necessary for the pat to his head his grandfather had suddenly become so fond of.

The feel of weathered hands messing up his still damp hair was somehow comforting and Yugi smiled, relaxing into the tender moment before Sugoroku pulled back with a chuckle. "You'd better hurry, you know how your mother gets when you're late, and since she's home now, you better be quick."

Yugi jumped again, muttering when he realized that he was most likely going to be locked out for morning classes, and turned quickly toward his school.

"Thanks Jii-chan!" Yugi called over his shoulder, too concerned with his pace to look back, but he could hear Sugoroku's laugh all the way down the street, though he was certain that it was nothing more than the memory of that sound replaying in his mind to ease his still chaotic emotions.

_I am sorry, Aibou._

Yami's sudden intrusion into his thoughts made Yugi shiver, and he swallowed back the response knowing from experience how well strangers took kids randomly talking to themselves. _About what, Yami? Not waking me up? It's not your fault, I'm the one who didn't—_

_No, Aibou. I don't mean…I was talking about…_ Yami's thought trailed off, as the bitter taste of guilt and sorrow filled the link before it was abruptly cut off with a quick, _I will rest in the soul rooms for the day, Aibou. If you need me, call._

Yugi bit back the burning need to question him, and nodded trying not to let Yami feel the hurt, and betrayal he felt at being left in the dark. It wasn't entirely Yami's fault. When he was ready, he'd talk, Yugi just had to be patient, and believe that his dark would tell him.

The silence of their link unnerved him more than he knew it should. He knew that Yami was still their, and even if he wasn't Yugi would be fine on his own, if nothing else his trip to the past had taught him the strength of his own independence. Still, after finally retrieving that part of himself, he was loath to loose it again.

But Yami was right, it was easier to think when his head was clear, and with the unease between his friends and Yami, it wasn't too hard to guess why Yami chose to sleep while Yugi was at school. _What happened while I was gone? And why won't anyone tell me? Everyone's acting so weird… and how did they keep my six-month vanishing act from mom? I know she's barely ever home but… _Yugi was forced to forget his questions as the big iron gates came into view.

They were still open.

With a renewed strength, Yugi bolted for the entrance, his legs moving faster than he'd ever thought possible—and he covered a distance his gym teacher would be astounded at, then confused as to why Yugi did so poorly in his class—as his heart felt like it could burst from his chest at any moment.

From the corner of his eye he caught a blur of gold and almost stopped as it passed him, but the sound of the tardy bell ringing forced him to keep pace, and with a dive-roll through the slowly closing gates, Yugi lay triumphantly in a cloud of dust just inside of school grounds.

He was late, but he would still make the morning classes.

"That was close…"

"You're telling me." The familiar voice made Yugi grin as he looked up into expectant tawny eyes.

"Late start for you too Jou?"

"You know it!" Jonouchi beamed, as if proud of that fact, and Yugi shook his head standing. He was just glad that Anzu wasn't around to hear that. For all the friendship speeches she gave, she became the biggest anti-friend where school was concerned.

"C'mon, we don't want to be too late. Anzu will skin me alive if I'm late for second hour." Jonouchi said, pulling Yugi along by the arm.

The casual touch would have been unnoticed if one didn't know Jonouchi was well as he did, but being that he did know the blond better than most, Yugi took note of the steadying grip the other held on him, and mentally slapped himself for taking so long to return. _Not to mention having fun and… getting… well… _

Yugi blushed, not sure how he wanted to think of his first time. Was it called getting his cherry popped? Did he even have a cherry to pop? What the hell did that saying mean anyway?

"Yug' you okay, you're acting rather spacey?" Jonouchi helpfully announced, his free hand touching his forehead in concern, and Yugi ducked away with a giggle that sounded almost pained, hoping that his blush would be unnoticed.

"Yeah, just… thinking." Yugi admitted to his feet, not all that sure about how to approach that topic. _Though, it would be nice to have someone else's opinion on how to deal with Yami… but, what if… what if they hate me for being… well, not so virgin and… gay?_ Yugi smiled to himself at the ease in which he thought that term. Half a year ago he could hardly think of the word let alone it's meaning, and now he used it to describe himself. How things had changed…

"Oh. 'Bout Yams?" Jonouchi asked, surprisingly quite perceptive, and Yugi jerked, looking up at his friend in a mixture of horror and hope. He felt Yami stir in his soul room and—after basking in the feel of his other so near—sent him a soothing reassurance that all was well, and when the spirit of the puzzle was again resting peacefully, and no longer aware of the outside world, Yugi returned his gaze to Jonouchi.

"Yeah… um… you know, there's uh, something I need to tell… yo—well everyone." Yugi began, his cheeks flaming from his stuttering and he averted his eyes not wanting to see his best friend's reaction. If his friend's did disown him, he'd die, he knew it, and he'd never have the courage to "come out" to his grandfather—not to mention his mother, and he doubted he'd ever tell her. Explaining Yami to her would be too difficult to begin with—and then for all he knew Yami could decide he didn't need him anymore. _What if he never forgave me for leaving him…? _Yugi thought with a trickle of icy fear and sickening doubt.

"Yeah, okay, but that's going to have to wait till lunch, cause, as much as I care for you, I ain't hearing Anzu's tardy lecture again if I can avoid it." Jonouchi's truthful outburst helped Yugi steady himself. _I don't know anything for certain yet, just stay calm and take things one-step at a time. Whatever happens, will happen… regardless of the time I spend worrying over it. _

"Right." Yugi agreed and allowed himself to be dragged into the building and ultimately into his classes—which he found out that Yami was horrible at the classes and had nearly destroyed his year for him, but it was the thought that counted right? At least he showed up for him.

With a deep breath Yugi set his mind, determined to shatter the illusion of normalcy he'd fallen into since his return. He wasn't sure of the outcome, but if he'd learned nothing else from Anuksu, it was to never waste time on worrying over things he couldn't control. _I just hope it works out…_

XXXXX

It was quiet in the soul room, though the walls seemed to shift colors and intensity every four seconds, evidence of the owner's distress. Yami turned his back to the far wall and closed his eyes tightly, his soul currently wrapped in the security of Yugi's soul room. He was giving the young man his space, and watching the walls jump from the cool pale blue of sadness, to the ruby hue of embarrassment, and back to orange annoyance only to have it plummet to pale green terror was making Yami almost desperate to know why these colors were appearing.

If he wasn't careful he'd open up the link and ease drop onto Yugi's mind, and as far as Yami was concerned, he had no right to do that.

_I've put him through enough hardships… this is his life that I am attempting to intrude on… and I've only been stealing his time from him._ Yami thought to himself, feeling rather pathetic as he continued to wallow in his self-depreciating thoughts that had plagued him since the joy of Yugi's return had faded.

_He just came back, like nothing had happened… just like before, when he was returned from Doom. _Yami thought, remembering the two times he'd been the most frightened and excited at the same time. It had been those conflicting emotions that had stopped him from engulfing his soul partner in a hug. It was only later that he realized that the fear had been of the rejection he might face.

This time though, he'd restrained himself for an entirely different reason. _There is only one way of knowing… and I am too frightened to find out._

The spirit of the millennium puzzle pulled the metaphorical sheets closer, and buried his head in Yugi's colorful pillow. For all that he thought, the room hadn't changed by much. The colors seemed brighter than before, and the closed window on the wall was propped open allowing a warm breeze in. The window symbolized his soul, and the open glass showed that he had come to terms with himself and was "free" from the bind he himself had created. The toys where a little more organized, and there was now a little treasure chest at the foot of his bed, and try as he might, Yami found that he could not open the box.

Yugi now had deeper secrets he was unwilling to share, even with his yami. The thought hurt, and backed up his fears, yet the otherwise contentment of the soul room suggested otherwise. It all served to confuse him.

_I know my memories are true. I beat Yugi, well, Jonoh did… then I gained his trust, only to break it. _Yami scowled, inwardly hating himself for the memories he couldn't even trust himself. _What if I'm wrong, and I didn't stop in the bath? What if I just wanted Yugi to accept me so desperately that I changed my own memories to believe that he loved me too? Sugoroku was just telling Yugi about the theory that some people can create their own memories, if they wish for it hard enough… what if… what if that's what I did? _Yami squirmed with the idea, confused by the reality of his memories and the possibility of their falseness.

If that treasure box hadn't been there, Yami may have been able to believe that he had not been mistaken. After all, if he'd raped Yugi, his soul room would have signs of it, and he would not have asked for that hug on his return. _… but if it was consensual, why hasn't… why hasn't he said anything? _

The inconsistencies were tearing him apart inside. He wasn't usually one to wait, or hesitate, but this was no game or challenge he could easily face. This was Yugi, his aibou, and the feelings he may or may not have for him, and approaching that trial was terrifying to the spirit. He'd felt the loss of his soul mate three times already. Once to death, once to his arrogance, and then to his past, Yami doubted he could handle losing him by rejection.

_This is fine for now… fine… just fine…_ Yami thought to himself, well aware that it was a lie, and snuggled closer to the sheets that held the soft smell of the sea and rain. Yugi's smell, and attempted to block out all else.

It was always easier said than, done.

The walls pulsed once more with relief before settling into the boredom that usually accompanied the school day, and for a moment Yami was glad that Yugi was distracted, as it allowed him to roll onto his back.

Staring up at the ceiling—decorated with posters and old glow-in-the-dark stars—Yami tried to regulate his chaotic thoughts. These new memories, they didn't change much, not really. It wasn't like he missed Yugi anymore than he had before, and his memories of the past two years didn't become odd with a sort of detached love that one would expect. It wasn't like his lost half had suddenly returned and was now privy to all that had happened up to this point.

No, the only things the memories did was clear up the feelings he could not explain before, like his protectiveness of Yugi after the puzzle's completion. He knew that part of it was out of gratitude, but the other part, the one that made him enraged when someone dared to hurt the small boy he resided in was until then unexplainable.

The teacher, Miss Chrono, hadn't really done anything but emotionally hurt Yugi through tormenting Honda, and he'd reacted. All this time he'd never been able to explain it, now it oddly made sense.

Chrono-san had reminded him of Fastosus.

_Nothing's really changed… yet, it has._ Yami thought, lifting one hand to inspect it.

He could still recall a time when Yugi's hand was dwarfed upon his own. When Yugi's forehead just barely touched his waist. When Yugi's rounded cheeks, and upturned nose angled up to see him with curiousness, and slight fear.

_Yugi was just a boy then… a child. One who needed guidance and strength. You needed so much back then, and when I went too far… you suffered so much._ Yami's eyes narrowed, _I still see your tears aibou. From that time with Kaiba on Pegasus's island… and it hurts but, I also remember the times you held the puzzle with such joy and love. You were willing to die to save me. You grew up so fast. Starting with Death 'T' and again with Pegasus._

Yami's smile was ironic as the thoughts and feelings from the past two years flooded through his mind easing his thoughts from his bitter fears. _You… no longer really needed me… but you didn't want to let me go and I hoped… _

"But you loved Anzu… I knew you did. That date told me everything… the hours you spent dressing, and that bothered me because she was Anuksu… of course I didn't remember that at the time." Yami spoke aloud to fill in the echoing of Yugi's heartbeat.

Yami's thoughts kept chasing in circles, back and forth between memories and feelings, as he recalled watching Yugi grow up, as he too grew and changed, from a pharaoh, to a spirit with no memory, to the entity known as Yami. They were both calming and upsetting at once, and his frown returned once more as his soul ached with his resolution.

_I chose to trust him… that was a decision I made not as Atemu, but as I am now. I am no longer the pharaoh of Khemet, I am the friend a small boy wished for, and if I have to wither away in silence till the end of my existence than so be it!_ His thoughts rang loud with conviction, and the air shifted as Yugi's mind was alerted.

_Yami, you alright?_ Yugi asked, sounding a little hesitant, and Yami tried not to flinch.

_I am fine, Yugi, just a passing thought._ He hoped Yugi had only been alarmed by his emotions and not the words themselves, and it seemed that the gods took pity on him as Yugi relaxed and returned to his class, the barrier still up between them.

Yami closed his eyes. His insides still squirmed uncomfortably, but at least he felt like he could face Yugi without collapsing inside. With a deep breath Yami relaxed, gazing tiredly at nothing. It seemed all he did anymore was worry and fear and contemplate the things he'd already set to rest. It was amazingly tiring.

He suddenly understood why it was that Anzu always seemed snappish and cranky at the end of the day. He definitely knew how a Soap Opera felt now, and he was glad that at least he didn't have to worry about any pregnant cousins name Shirley showing up.

_No, instead I get Kaiba purposefully stepping onto my toes…_ Yami thought with a little annoyance. _He's got Jonouchi… if he ever gets his head out of his ass long enough to notice the blond… so why is he glomming onto my aibou for?_ He already knew the answer to that question, but wasn't quite ready to face up to his actions, and Seto's sudden revenge for the beating he'd received on the roof was the least of his problems.

Everyone had been antsy around him, and most with good reason, though no one felt right telling Yugi just how hard they had fallen without him.

_We all assumed that you needed us Aibou, that you were the one that could not live without our guidance, yet somehow we'd switched roles along the way, and it was us that needed you, me that needed your guidance. _His thoughts brought on memories that filled his mouth with bitter fear, and he clenched his hands as he recalled the pain he'd felt as he'd reached out for Yugi when he'd been in the Valley of Gathering Souls, only to pass right through him.

It was his worst nightmare, perhaps that was the reason he didn't embrace Yugi when he'd been returned. He was afraid that he'd again, pass right through his light and be left alone again.

The color of the walls shifted between boredom and calmness; Yami watched it in mild interest. Back in Khemet he had not been able to see such things, and Yugi was nearly unreadable to him. Seemed almost alien to him now, after spending two years inside the comfort of his light.

"Would we lose all of this, our link, if Rebecca's idea had been done?" Yami asked the silence of the room, unsure if that would have been good or bad for the both of them.

_"But why not? Darling, you don't have to stay like this anymore! That parasitic pharaoh could have his own body, and you'd never have to suffer anymore!" Rebecca cried, clinging to Yugi's arm in the early morning after the miracle that had returned Yugi to them._

_ Anzu was looking at the floor, obviously not wanting to say anything for one reason or another, Jonouchi was looking annoyed, and Honda looked as though he agreed with the girl._

_ Yami felt the sting at the brunette's actions, yet he understood that Honda had only jut begun to forgive him for his behavior, and the girl had hated him from the moment he'd gambled with his soul and lost Yugi's instead. He really couldn't say that he liked the brat either, but he couldn't blame her for her anger, that didn't mean that he didn't wish to send her to the shadow realm for her cruel—if true—words._

_ "He's not a parasite!" Yugi argued, and the vehemence in his thoughts eased Yami's own anger, and he relaxed a bit in the soft comfort of his light's soul. "… he's… important to me, and I only jut got him back." Yugi said with a blush, and Yami smiled at the tender feelings that passed clearly between them through their hypersensitive link._

_ "Sorry, Rebecca," Yugi began again, obviously upset with himself for yelling at the bookish girl who now looked like she'd been struck. "… I think Yami would like his own body, and if he wants it, I'll gladly go with him, but for now I would rather be as close to mou hitori no boku as I can for a while."_

_ Everyone in the room blinked at the term, not hearing it in so long that its usage now seemed more significant that the rest of his speech. _

_ Honda looked away with a small glare but seemed to back down from his stance at Yugi's words, but Rebecca seemed less inclined to listen, being as she barely knew Yugi the time that Yami had been known as the 'Other Yugi.' _

_ "How—" Her words were cut short by the steady hand that Sugoroku placed on her._

_ "That's enough, Yugi's made his decision and that's that." Sugoroku said in that all knowing way that he had. Yami felt a little humbled as he recognized the tone to be the same one he'd used to drag him out of bed._

_ Rebecca made a grunting sound of defeat as she slumped, crossing her arms over her chest. "Fine, but I don't see why not. I wouldn't want to be possessed by that creep."_

_ "Well, that ain't your choice, its Yug's and Yami's." Jonouchi jumped in, sounding quite angry with the blond child, and he received a glare from Rebecca for his interruption._

_ "Rebecca." Anzu began, looking up for the first time and the soft look the blue eyed girl had was calming. "I think what Yugi means is that he'd like things to be normal for a while before anymore changes happen to him. Not that he thinks your plan was useless and stupid."_

_ Rebecca sighed, somehow subdued, and nodded once, setting the printed plan on the table and turning from the group. "Whatever." From her tense shoulders, Yami was certain that the girl hadn't let go as much as she wanted everyone to think, but he didn't bother relaying that to Yugi. The smaller duelist already felt bad enough for making the girl angry in the first place. _

Aibou…

Yes Yami? _Yugi responded quickly, somehow happier by just the sound of Yami's inquiry in his mind._

… I am glad that you are back, and I'm sure Rebecca is as well, so don't be upset.

…thank you Yami. _Yugi said with a smile that Yami could feel through the link, and the spirit basked in its warmth a while longer, ignoring the concerned looks his friends gave them as they conversed. He was certain that they knew when Yugi spoke to him, and their fear made him uncomfortable, but with the way he'd been acting recently, he couldn't really blame them either. So, he ignored them all together, things would smooth over soon enough, he hoped._

Yami let his eyes drift closed in lazy relaxation. He was over thinking things again and avoiding the things he couldn't change or control. _It's time to stop running. I need to confront Yugi, and ask him if what I remember is true… or not…_ Yami sighed, already disliking the prospect. _… even if it kills me._

After all, he had an escape.

It was in the shape of a stack of papers set in Sugoroku's study. If he used those he could leave Yugi and free him from the nightmare he'd caused if what he feared was indeed true.

If it was true.

XXXXX

The air outside had turned chill with the biting sense of fall, and the sharper smells of autumn assaulted the noses of the small ring of friends seated under the wilting cherry tree eating their lunches. It wouldn't be long before the harsher elements of the cold weather forced them inside the cafeteria for lunch, but until then they seemed content to escape to their little haven.

"_Katsuya_," Anzu snarled her chopsticks poised over Jonouchi's hand like a poised cobra, and her voice was it's deadly venom. "If you want to keep your manhood I suggest you keep your grubby paws out of my bento! And don't even start complaining about the 'paws' comment or I'll bring your master over here to remind you why you should be a good puppy."

The blonde's jaw dropped in shock at the words that fell from the usually non-threatening friend, and promptly replaced the tempura he'd stolen.

"Thank you." Anzu said her lips pursed as she continued to pop rice into her mouth.

"Woah, Jonouchi I think you've been stealing munchies for too long." Honda teased, looking quite amused by Anzu's sudden defensiveness. "She even used your first name… she's out for blood man." The brunette male wisely left the whole master/puppy thing out of the conversation, though Yugi was secretly dying to know what she meant by it.

He wanted to laugh at it, like any other joke, but seeing as Jonouchi had yet to actually get upset over it, it seemed as though there had been at least a fragment of truth in her comment. _They have been acting rather friendly towards each other lately… what happened between them while I was gone? _Yugi wondered while nibbling on his own meal barely tasting the food.

_Kaiba's been acting weird since I came back, and hasn't picked an actual fight with Jou since… almost like, he's somehow respecting him in a way… _Yugi sighed, half wondering if Kaiba had somehow regained a few memories of his own concerning a certain blond guard, but at the same time he doubted that the CEO would ever admit to having memories from another life, so that theory was shot to hell.

Whatever it was, Yugi was pleased by the implications. _Being gay would be much easier if I wasn't the only one of my friends that was…_ Yugi purposefully avoided the part of his mind that reminded him that Bakura and Ryo were also quite into each other. The thought of connecting with the thief on any level left him feeling queasy. _I don't think Grandpa would be too thrilled to have a repeat of last time anyway…_

The time Yugi had invited Ryo and Malik over for a 'light and dark' celebration before Malik left to return to Egypt; where Bakura and Yami had gotten into a Shadow Game that resulted in the salt and pepper shakers dancing around the room on legs made of sliver wear, was still a sore subject for the elderly Mouto, and the ban placed on Bakura had yet to be lifted.

"What do you expect? You've been stealing my food for… _years_!" Anzu snapped pointing her chopsticks accusingly at the blond while Honda laughed seeming to enjoy the punishment his best friend as receiving from the girl he used to help pick on with the panty-tank.

Yugi smiled as well, unable to block out the enjoyable feelings bubbling up inside. It felt good to be in the presence of his friends, though sometimes he felt a little nostalgic at the loss of Anuksu.

Once and a while, when Anzu would talk so enthusiastically about her dance class, Yugi would feel his chest tighten and he'd suddenly wish for the witty, sarcastic belly dancer, but then it would pass with a smile and pat from Anzu. _ I hope she's all right… I never did get to say goodbye…_

"Hey, I can't help it if your food looks good!" Jonouchi snapped, finally backed far enough into a corner to fight back, and Anzu gave him a mocking look.

"Oh, so its my fault for having a lunch?"

"Yes."

"That's a stupid argument! How can my having lunch be a catalyst for your grifting it?" Anzu asked, bristling as Jonouchi continued to push her buttons.

"Yeah, well if you paid more attention to what was going on around you, I wouldn't have been able to steal your shrimp!"

"I was trying to listen to Yugi since you said he had something important to tell us! I didn't know you'd said that just to get into my—_put the sausage down and you wont get hurt_!"

"Damn Anzu, its just food." Jonouchi said dropping the item, flustered that she'd noticed. Maybe he was doing it too often.

Honda chuckled as he turned back to Yugi, juice in hand. "So, was it a lie then Yugi?"

Yugi suddenly wished the conversation had stayed on food. "Uh… well, not… no, it wasn't." Yugi choked out, his face feeling as though he'd lit a match under his chin. _C'mon, you said you'd get this off of your chest… you have to come clean if you want to move forward… and that means asking them for advice._ Yugi told himself sternly as Anzu stopped battling Jonouchi and turned to him, missing Jonouchi's swift motion as he stole the sausage again, thins time eating it before she could notice its absence.

"What is it Yugi?" Anzu asked, concerned, even as her chopsticks embedded themselves into Jonouchi's hand as he tried to steal something more. With a yelp he pulled away and pouted, before turning back to Yugi.

"Yeah, so what was so important this morning that you needed to discuss with all of us?"

Yugi swallowed the large lump that formed in his esophagus. _How will they react? … can I handle it if they turn away from me? _Yugi felt suddenly feverish, and sweat gathered on his brow and under his arms.

No matter how many times he'd prepared himself for this conversation, actually coming out of the closet was harder and more frightening than he'd supposed it to be. _But, I can't ask for their help without telling them everything… _ Taking a deep breath Yugi looked around his ring of friends, and nearly chickened out at the almost knowing looks on their faces.

Anzu glanced towards Jonouchi who kept looking at Honda as though he expected the brunette to do something stupid, but his quiet friend just sat there, staring at Yugi with a detached sort of understanding. Yugi blinked, unsure of what the looks were about and he looked away from them all and into his lunch pail, his hands clutching the plastic sides hard enough for the tips of his fingertips to turn a sickly white.

"I…I… look, while I was back in…" His mouth felt cotton dry, and his throat felt like he'd swallowed a hand full of sand. He hoped his racing heart didn't wake Yami, but from the silence in the link, he was certain the spirit was unaware of his anxiety. _Well… its now… or never…_

"I'm gay!" Yugi suddenly spat out, his eyes clenched shut to block out the reactions, and his fingers trembling around his food.

The silence was painful as Yugi waited for their responses, and the sound of the wind in the dying leaves was deafening to him. _Oh god.. that wasn't… kami-sama I screwed that one up…_ Opening a frightened eye, Yugi held his breath as he scanned his friends faces, anything but ready to accept their looks of disgust.

"… guys?" Yugi asked when he found Jonouchi and Anzu just looking at him, eating their lunches as though they were waiting for him to continue, like he had yet to say something they didn't already know.

"Yeah, Yug'?" Jonouchi asked calmly, munching on a sandwich.

Yugi blinked, and started to wonder if he'd actually said anything at all, and looked over towards Honda who was looking down at his hands. Yugi couldn't tell if he was uncomfortable or just coming to grips with something, and so decided that he _had _said that he was gay. _.. So then… why aren't they reacting?_

"Yugi, you look pale, you okay?" Anzu asked, placing a cool hand to his forehead. "You don't have to finish if you're that upset…" Anzu added shooting a worried look at Jonouchi who fiddled uncomfortably, his calm mood suddenly gone.

"Yeah, Yug' I mean… we're here to listen and all… that is, if you're ready to talk about it… damn, that is—"

"Fuck." Yugi jumped at the explicit that escaped from Honda's mouth. "What did he do to you?"

Yugi pulled closer to Anzu at the murderous look in his friend's eyes and tried to calm down, not quite sure what was happening.

"W—who?"

"That bastard pharaoh, did he rape you?" Honda asked, somehow unusually blunt, and Yugi choked on air suddenly feeling like he was trapped in a nightmare. _W—what? R—rape? Where the hell did they… how long have they… _

"Honda!" Anzu scolded, wrapping a comforting arm around Yugi's shoulders as Jonouchi glowered at the brunette.

"Could you be a little more insensitive, moron?"

"Well, its better to get this over with rather than pussy-footing around the damn problem! Rip it off like a band-aid!" Honda snapped, and Yugi realized that his earlier fidgeting had been concern.

"This is a little bigger than a band-aid, getting raped by one's other self is not—"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Yugi snapped, finally having enough of their weird accusations. Glaring around the circle of friends, Yugi watched as their faces mixed with concern and pity, and felt the tell-tale anger that usually came with thoughts of Pragus. The burn was a comfort and he straightened up, pinning them all with a withering glare. "I just told you that I am gay, not a rape victim! So how the hell did you come up with that?"

Anzu looked relieved and a little shocked, and he preferred her expression to that of his other friends who looked utterly confused. "So… Yami didn't—"

"_No he didn't!_" Yugi hissed, at the end of his rope. "If anything I seduced him in the end, and now I've been without for a month, I'm horny as hell and I don't know if Yami still wants me, and I don't know why he's acting all distant and I wanted your advice but I thought you'd think I was sick for being gay, so I came out first and then you ask if.. if… god, all of you are acting so weird!" Yugi rambled out in a single breath, before collapsing into a gasping fit, sill on his anger high allowing him to escape embarrassment for the moment.

Anzu had turned red and looked like she was quite ready to pass out, a hand cradled to her mouth. "Oh…" Was her breathy response, which brought Yugi back to the present, and with a startled gasp he felt his face heat. _Oh Kami I am screwing this up…_

"Oh, wow Yug' I'm sorry, you just looked so horrified that we thought…" Jou trailed off looking at Honda who had reclined against the tree with a scowl, seemingly out of the conversation. "Heh, so, what's this about Yami being distant?"

Yugi felt his eye twitch. Were they trying to drive him mad? "Jou, why did you all think that… that Yami… Atemu…" Yugi couldn't even finish the thought, as—unbidden—the memory of their first encounter in the bath flashed though his mind. _Gods, no, he stopped and… I didn't… really mind…. _ Yugi flushed again, and hoped Jonouchi thought it was because of the topic and not because Yugi really had been assaulted.

The group became tense and quiet, and Yugi had the urge to throw things, but held back. "Guys! I'm sick of being kept in the dark! What the hell happened? Why is Yami acting weird, why are you guys so distant towards him? Why did you think he…" Yugi swallowed, "And why the hell is Kaiba _hugging _me?"

His last comment drew a laugh from Jonouchi and Yugi hoped that the blond would expound but he didn't, and Yugi almost decided to throw his bento at his friend's head when Honda spoke up.

"Kaiba's pissing Yami off 'cause Yami lost it while you were gone, and beat the shit out of him on the roof." Honda said in a bored voice, and Yugi felt his jaw drop in disbelief.

Sure he knew Yami hated Kaiba and visa versa, but to actually get into a fistfight? Looking at Jonouchi for confirmation Yugi caught the pained look of remembrance and felt his stomach drop. _Yami lost it… because I was gone? _

"… Why?" Yugi whispered, and Honda sighed bracing his head against the tree trunk.

"'Cause you were gone, and he kept having these flashes of memory where he was certain that he'd rape you, and so he was going mad with guilt and his need to play hero and he was as useless as the rest of us for once." Honda's voice carried a tinge of vindictiveness, and Yugi was struck by a fact he'd never thought of before. _Is Honda jealous of Yami? That he's able to help me more directly than him? _

"… so he thinks he…" Yugi trailed off with a sigh, flopping down beside Anzu. "I thought he remembered everything."

"He does." Anzu tried to comfort, but Yugi just laughed humorlessly.

"Then he should know that I wanted him, that I said… I told him that I loved him, and he wouldn't be acting like touching me would turn him to stone."

"Yugi…" Anzu sighed, her hand slipping from his back.

"… well you know Yug', Yami's been taking your disappearance pretty hard, we all have…" Jonouchi looked away in shame at that and Yugi glanced back at Anzu when Honda tensed, and found her looking like she might break.

Did he really mean that much to everyone? The thought had never occurred to him before. He knew he was a friend, and he'd worry about them if they'd gone missing, but from the way they were reacting, he had the feeling that it wasn't as simple as that. It was almost as thought they'd given up hope.

"Guys…" Yugi bit his lip unsure of what to say. He hadn't exactly been able to call upon their friendship while back in time, but the memories of what he'd learned from them had helped him, even if he hadn't consciously realized it, and it seemed that at least Honda needed to know about it. "… You know, when I was there, I felt so alone. Yami was gone… completely and I couldn't find him, then when I did, he didn't know me, at all. It hurt, and I was sure I was all alone…" Yugi paused smiling as he caught Jonouchi's eyes and then Anzu's. "But then I found you guys, they were you, but not you, and they reminded me that you guys were waiting for me back here and I knew I wasn't alone at all. I had Jonoh the Guard and Anuksu the palace dancer."

Jonouchi gave a half smile, and Anzu blushed. Turning to Honda Yugi met his gaze and held it. "And though I didn't have you around, Honda your words kept me strong. You once snuck on a ship to follow me and support me on my quest to save my grandfather, and somehow I knew that you would have done the same this time as well had you had the chance. Knowing that you were all here waiting, it kept me going when even Yami was gone, so thank you."

The brunette gave him a look, his lips quirking slightly and Yugi smiled wider, feeling lighter. "Thank you, for being my friends. You don't know how much I rely on all of you…"

His words seemed to mend them a little and they sat up straighter, Jou pulling him into a noogie. "Aww, stop being such a sap!"

Yugi laughed around the action, gripping Jonouchi's arm lightly to keep from strangling in the friendly embrace. "Jou…"

"Yeah, it's time to move forward, and help with the Yami problem." Anzu said helpfully and it brought Yugi back around to his original plan.

"You guys really okay with it?" He asked a little uncertain, and received confused looks from his friends.

"Okay with what Yug?"

Yugi flushed and tapped his fingers together. "My being… in love with Yami."

"Yugi, I think you're the only one that didn't know." Anzu said gently and Yugi looked up startled.

"Really?" He hadn't thought he'd been that transparent, but from the happy look on Anzu's face, and the smirk on Jonouchi's he found he must have been.

"Yug', you've been head's over heels for the guy since he first arrived like your knight in shining leather." Jonouchi laughed at his own joke and it made Yugi smile, suddenly feeling like crying in relief.

Everything was going to be fine.

"Honda?" Yugi asked, turning with happy eyes to his final friend and missed the worried looks that Anzu and Jonouchi shared behind him.

His last friend was still leaning against the tree, his face unreadable. For a moment there was nothing but the sound of the wind and Yugi's hopeful breathing, as the group waited for Honda's final verdict.

"… I think he's being a cautious bastard." Honda quipped looking up into Yugi's eyes with a soft look of resignation. "He's never going to change. If you want your happy ending you're probably going to have to trap him and lay everything out in simple terms and jump him, otherwise, your pharaoh is just going to worry himself bald and suffer in his pity party, drowning on bottles of guilt."

The image made Yugi laugh as he nodded, "Thanks Honda, your right I probably will have to jump Yami… I just hope he still wants me."

"Yugi…" Anzu began but was cut off by a very sharp Honda.

"He better, cause I'll personally kick his ass if he hurts you." The stoic friend suddenly flushed at his admittance and sat back with a huff as Jonouchi started to cheer.

"Yeah, you show him Honda!"

"Shove it, Jonouchi…"

"Touchy."

"I'll show you touchy!" Honda said menacingly, but Jonouchi seemed to be suicidal today as he just smirked.

"Ooh, I thought you only did that with Otogi…"

"That's it! You're dead!" Honda jumped to his feet ready to strangle the blond when Anzu piped up, always the voice of reason.

"Wait, there's still one problem."

"What?" Yugi asked, nervous now at his first friend's exclamation, and wondered what could possibly be on her mind. _What did I miss? _

"Yami's just a spirit, how can they be together if they're in the same body?"

Yugi blushed, pondering if he should bring up the fact that Yami could become solid for a few hours outside of his body and if that didn't work there was always the option of using their soul rooms, but was mercifully saved by Jonouchi.

"Don't be stupid, he can become solid, remember, he did it that time we all hung out and took pictures?"

Honda didn't comment as he stood with his hands still around Jonouchi's neck, but no longer choking. He did blink a little as though Jonouchi's explanation had not been what he'd been thinking of, but he didn't make a comment on it.

"But its very tiring for him, remember he had that head ache, and on top of that, Yami's always complaining about taking up Yugi's life, somehow I doubt he'll change his mind just because of this." Anzu stated, again the voice of that damnable reason. "In fact it'll probably make it worse."

Yugi felt his stomach drop as he realized that she was right, and swallowed, feeling suddenly adrift. _Does that mean… we can't be together? _Just as the group was starting to panic, Honda gave a suffering sigh and rolled his eyes at them as if they were all blind.

"C'mon guys, I know a lots happened but its only been a month since this problem was solved." Honda sighed again when Yugi blinked at him curiously, for once not understanding a word his friend was saying. "Use Rebecca's plan and give him his own body." Honda supplied sounding bored, and Yugi blinked in confusion before remembering the master plan the small blond had given him. _Oh, that's right, Rebecca had mentioned that… how could I forget that one, duh, Yugi it's only the answer to your every wet dream… _Yugi grinned to himself, feeling rather silly as he responded with the clichéd:

"You're right," and grinned widely at the thought of having Yami in the flesh. _Oh, that'd be great! He'd be able to do everything we do! He can live in my room and we can cuddle, and play games, and go to school together! It'd be perfect! _ "Honda you're a genius!" Yugi cried, and his friend gave his head a small tilt.

"You only realizing this now?"

"Get over your self prema-Honda." Jonouchi shot back, quickly reinstating their fight.

"I'll get the things together, Grandpa can help with the preparations, and then…" Yugi broke off suddenly as yet another problem struck him.

"Yugi? What's wrong?" Anzu asked, the only one not busy fighting.

"… how can I tell grandpa?"

For a moment she seemed not to comprehend what he was saying, but after a moment she smiled, pulling Yugi into a hug.

"Yugi, I think you know more than any of us, that your grandpa only wants you to be happy, and I'm pretty sure he already knows that Yami makes you happy."

"You think?" Yugi asked, needing reassurance and his friend smiled, pinching his cheek.

"I know."

"Thanks Anzu." Yugi said, looking up to blue eyes he'd once sworn he loved. The friendship he found in them was a relief and he was glad that he'd never been able to make a move before.

"Now, telling your mom, might be tough, I suggest you tell her Yami's an exchange student and leave it at that for a while." Anzu advised and Yugi laughed.

"Yeah, telling her the truth now might just kill her."

The scuffling sounds of playful fighting continued as the chill wind blew by, stealing the moment into time as the day wore on, and the mending of hearts began after the stasis that had been placed after Yugi's return.

"Hey, I just thought of something…" Jonouchi piped up as Honda gave up trying to kill him. "… If you jump Yami now, wouldn't that be masturbation?"

"Uhg, gross Jonouchi…" Anzu groaned, and turned back to Honda missing the sudden light that seemed to click on inside of Jonouchi's mind after that statement.

"No seriously guys, don't you…Oh!" Jonouchi looked at Yugi, and Yugi felt his face flush, somehow knowing where this was going. _Oh no… please no, not that…_

It seemed karma had caught up with him.

"So _that _was your nightmare!"

"Jonouchi!"

XXXXX

"Thanks for walking me home Jou." Yugi said with a pleasant smile as they rounded the last bend in the road. The Kame Game shop was just down the street, Yugi could see the brightly colored roof from where they stood, and again he felt his stomach clench with uncertain fear.

"Not a problem, I'm just surprised that Yami's actually staying out of your head for so long." Jonouchi quipped, still a bit shocked at Yugi's confession when he'd asked the blond for moral support when he came out to his grandfather.

Though Anzu's words had eased his fear at lunch, four hours had a way of destroying such calm.

"Yeah, but its just like Anzu said," Yugi admitted with a deep breath of the luke-warm air. The sun was slanted and tawny in the dwindling evening, casting long shadows upon the pavement. It was the time of day that made Yugi think of his childhood when summer nights seemed to take forever to come and he'd come running home chasing after his shadow, as though trying to catch up.

_Trying to catch my shadow… _Yugi smiled again, pleased with the irony before continuing with his explanation before Jonouchi had time to become annoyed with him. "Yami's always been afraid of "stealing" my time from me. He always said it was like living my life for me, and he felt he didn't have that right. I guess after what's happened he's become even more wary of it." Yugi sighed. "I wish he'd stop worrying."

"Yeah, well Yami's not the game playing pharaoh we all know and love if he isn't worrying himself sick over your well being and placing all who hurt you under shadow game penalties." Jonouchi was laughing, though Yugi had the feeling that the comment had held more truth to it than Jonouchi wanted to share.

"Was it really that bad?" Yugi asked, feeling more guilt weigh down his conscious.

"Well… it was really bad, I'm not going to lie to you Yug'." Jonouchi said, scratching the back of his neck a bit uncomfortably.

"What happened?" Yugi pressed, looking up at his friend. "I mean, you, Anzu, and Honda are all acting really cold towards Yami now. I just don't understand what happened."

Jonouchi struggled a bit with his words, and side-stepped a quickly running child playing a game of tag with his buddies on the side walk, before answering. "You know, its not really my place to tell. When Yams' ready to tell ya, he will."

"That's not really helpful, you know."

"Yeah, well I doubt you want to divulge all those gory details about your first time with the pharaoh now do ya?"

Yugi felt his face heat up and he spluttered, and Jonouchi laughed loud, clapping Yugi on the back as he chuckled enjoying the moment with his friend. The sharp motion stung a little, and Yugi stumbled momentarily expecting his back to burn a little more before remembering that his back didn't have the scar tissue on it anymore, nor the sunburn from before.

"In all honesty Yugi," Jonouchi began, his arm looped comfortably over Yugi's shoulders, and the weight was somehow comforting as they drew ever closer to the shop. "I don't think any of us were prepared for the consequences of your absence, least of all Yami. I think he was still suffering from the stress of loosing your soul in that game, and this was almost like a smack to the face for him. The rest of us… well, we weren't ready for him to lose it, and we all fell to pieces."

Yugi winced, scuffing his toe into the ground. "Oh…"

"But don't worry, we all pulled back together at the end there, and right now, I think we're all just coming to grips with it all." He laughed again shaking his head. "I mean, Honda actually helped out this time, so he must be accepting things as they are."

"What do you mean?" Yugi asked, his curiosity piqued, but Jonouchi just coughed and turned away with a nervous chuckle.

"Nothing, Yug', just… go a little easy on the details of your relationship with him okay? He's a little… homophobic you know?" Jonouchi whispered the last conspiratorially, and Yugi gasped, his mouth forming an 'o' shape of understanding.

_So, that's what he meant… _Yugi nodded his head in agreement with Jonouchi as they stepped up to the house, and as expected Sugoroku was out front sweeping the porch.

His grandfather did that everyday. Ever since the accident, as if this was his own therapeutic treatment, and stability: he greeted Yugi very day in place of his father, and his mother worked her self into a ghost. He'd long decided that things could have been worse and just grew accustomed with the new life he had, but at the moment, he wished his grandfather had had a different quirk.

"Hey, gramps!" Jonouchi called out, giving Yugi a small shove when he noticed the smaller duelist's tense stance in t doorway.

"Oh, hello Jou, you staying for dinner? Yugi didn't mention we'd have company." Sugoroku responded kindly, giving Yugi a patient look, filled with concern and Yugi found it hard to meet those steady plumb colored eyes.

"Naw, I just walked Yugi home. We had a lot to talk about." Jonouchi interrupted, and Yugi noticed the look that the blond was giving him.

It was a light threat, calmly announcing that if Yugi didn't say something son, his moral support would leave him on his own. _Jou… _Yugi whined mentally, looking nervously between his best friend and grandfather.

Sugoroku, having once been a master gamer himself, was most likely well aware of Yugi's unease and Jonouchi's not so subtle looks.

"Oh, anything I should know about?" Sugoroku asked, holding his broom in his hands carefully.

Yugi felt his pulse jump, and this time Yami sent him questioning feeling because of it a Yugi felt his insides twist. _Shit, Yami knows we're home… damn, if I don't say it soon Yami will hear everything when I do finally tell Grandpa and then that would just be awkward… _Yugi ignored the part of his mind that told him that things were all ready weird what with him telling everyone else about his feelings aside from the one who really should know. _I already told him, he's just too stupid to believe it! _Yugi told himself harshly as he finally found the courage to look up at his grandfather.

"Well, that's actually why I'm—" Jonouchi was cut off as Yugi broke in. If he didn't do it now, he'd lose his nerve and if he couldn't face his grandfather, there was no chance he'd be able to face Yami.

"Jii-chan, I don't know how you ay feel about this, but I think that I should say something to you since this is your house, and in order for me to have what I want I'll need your full support." Yugi heard his own voice as if through a radio. It sounded far away and distorted: not quite his own.

"Okay Yugi, what is it you need?" Sugoroku asked, and Yugi lost his words for a frightening moment. _What if he kicks me out? Or says no…_ Yugi swallowed hard and felt the comforting weight of Jonouchi's hand on his shoulder.

The slight curl on fingers reminded him that even if it did go wrong, he always had a place to go, and if Yami couldn't stay with him he could always go with Jonouchi or one of his other friends, or so they had said.

"Yugi?" Sugoroku sounded a little frightened now, and Yugi felt that ever persistent emotion called guilt, tear away at his insides.

"Grandpa… I… I'm in love with Yami, and I want to give him his own body so we can… be together if he wants… and I… I—" Yugi closed his eyes again at some point in his speech, attempting to regain his courage that was quickly leaking out of his body, and forced them open when his Grandfathers weathered old hand landed ob his head gently.

He held his breath as he looked up into the kind eyes he'd known his whole life and felt his body relax in a sort of heated numbness, when he noticed the soft crinkled skin at the corners of those eyes, and the understanding smile that softened his face.

"You grew up quite a bit when I wasn't looking, didn't you Yugi?"

The sudden burn of tears in his eyes made Yugi sniffle. His nose and lips felt funny with his repressed joy and he rubbed at them in a useless attempt to ward off his tears.

"See Yug', we all told ya he'd be fine with it." Jonouchi said helpfully, and patted Yugi's shoulder as the small duelist managed to control his wayward emotions, just as his Yami had decided that he'd had enough with the roller coaster ride.

_Aibou, is everything all right?_

_ Yeah, Yami, everything's fine. I was just worrying over something I shouldn't have._ Yugi replied, practically radiating joy, and felt Yami relax inside him.

_Oh, well, if you are sure…_

_I am, thanks for worrying._ Yugi returned feeling the spirit return to his soul room as soon as he noticed the others near Yugi, giving him his privacy.

"… he awake now?" Jonouchi asked, and at Yugi's nod he turned with a smirk. "Well then, on that note, I leave ya to smack some sense into your lover."

"Jonouchi!" Yugi cried, now thourally embarrassed, only to have his friend laugh at his exclamation, and wave jubilantly back at him as he disappeared down the street, in the direction opposite of his house, but directly towards the Kaiba mansion.

"I take it Yami doesn't know yet?" Sugoroku questioned before Yugi could ponder Jonouchi's destination further, and Yugi turned back with a light blush, not certain how his grandfather would take his next statement.

"No, he knows, he just doesn't seem to believe it or something…" Yugi muttered, looking at his shoes.

Sugoroku chuckled deep in his chest and ruffled Yugi's hair. "Well then, I guess I'll take up Yoshimori on that offer to get a drink tonight, since your mother is down in Tokyo for work."

Yugi felt his jaw slacken with shock as the elderly Mouto set his broom aside and casually entered the shop, flipping the sign on the door signaling that the shop was closed for the night.

"W—what?" Yugi stammered, running in after his grandfather and dumping his bag beside the counter as Sugoroku made the last minute checks on the register.

"Well, you want to be alone with Yami right?" Sugoroku said, just a little too comfortable with that thought for Yugi's comfort. "I'm assuming that while you were back there you two… ahem… consummated your feelings?"

"_Jii-chan!_" Yugi gasped, face changing from pale shock to cranberry red in record time. "How—what—why—uh… b…but…"

The elderly man waved his hand in a dismissing gesture as he closed the drawer with a resounding chime. "Come on now Yugi, was young once too, give me some credit."

Yugi snapped his mouth shut instantly having no urge to say anything to that statement. _How the hell did things turn out this way? I'm not sure which is worse his complete ease with my revelations or the idea of him finding me disgusting…_

"Now, that does not mean that I want to hear you two expressing your feelings." Sugoroku said bluntly and Yugi almost fell over his back as he forgot how to walk. "Now, I really don't care what your preference is so long as you are happy, but I am old and personally would not like to be plagued by the mental images of my grandson making love to his partner late at night while trying to sleep as you two—"

"I get it!" Yugi cried, smacking his hands over his ears in an attempt to block out his grandfather's words. "Thank you for your kind offer, I hope you have with Yoshimori, and believe me I'll be more than impotent while your home." Yugi gasped out, his chest heaving in mortified horror.

Who the hell needed birth control or sex ed lessons with a grandfather like his. Just get him talking and you'll have one non-sexual being.

"Okay then." Sugoroku said, as though reading Yugi's mind. He paused to call Yoshimori as Yugi collapsed at the kitchen table, laying his forehead on the cool surface in mild agony. _I should have kept quiet… _

"I'll be going now Yugi, it seems Arthur is back in town and wants to go over his findings with me. I'll probably stay out late, so if I'm not back or awake by nine, open the shop for me?"

"Sure." Yugi said just glad to be back to a normal conversation.

"I'll ask about the details to your ritual while I'm out." Sugoroku continued grabbing his coat on his way out.

"Thanks Grandpa."

"Oh!" Sugoroku turned around quickly, his look stern. "I almost forgot Yugi."

Riveted to his seat, Yugi turned curious of what it was that his Grandfather was so worried about. It seemed rather important to him, and he couldn't help but wonder what it could be.

"There's non-scented lotion in my bathroom cupboard, it'll come in handy tonight. I'm sure Yami will know—"

"Goodbye!" Yugi cried, his hands once again pressed over his ears like a vice as his grandfather left with a good-natured chuckle.

_I'll never get an erection again as long as I live… _Yugi thought sadly as he slumped further into his seat. "Why couldn't I have a normal grandfather? One that would freak out at the notion of me having sex?"

The gods seemed disinclined to answer.

XXXXX

The soft feel of cotton against his newly washed, tingling skin felt blissful, and Yugi moaned in satisfaction, stretching out his arms and back delighting in the full rage of motion he got from his un injured arms and back.

"Oh, that feels good."

_Aibou, you act as though you haven't bathed in years. _Yami retorted from inside his mind, the comment light and playful. Yugi smiled glad to have his dark back.

"Yeah, well after the day I've had I'd say I deserved it." Yugi shot back with a smile, determinedly ignoring the memory of his grandfather's parting words from two hours before.

_Was it really that bad? I'm sorry Aibou, had I known you needed me I—_

"No, it's fine. I was okay, it was just a little aggravating." Yugi grinned sitting down upon his bed, pulling his legs up after him, holding on to his ankles, rocking a little feeling happier than he had all day.

_Oh, well, if you are sure._ Yami responded predictably, and Yugi stopped rocking, his eyes focused on his lap.

"… Yami?" Yugi asked, feeling his heart flip-flop in his chest in excitement at the prospect that he was daring to attempt. _Well, when else will I have the opportunity, not to mention the okay? _

_Yes, Aibou? _Yami asked, and Yugi felt his confusion at his internal thought, and Yugi flushed, biting his lip.

"I… uhm, I'd like to talk to you about something."

He could clearly feel Yami's nervousness, and could only guess that he thought Yugi was going to tell him the same thing his friends had thought of at lunch. _Yes Aibou? _

"Could you come out here… I mean, could you… maybe, become solid?" Yugi asked timidly, and felt the shock through their shared link before Yami complied.

The slight burn of separation made Yugi's breath hitch in his chest and he squeezed his eyes shut at the uncomfortable sensation.

"Aibou?" Yami's voice echoed in his mind a bit, proof that the body he'd taken wasn't really a body at all but a solid manifestation of his soul. It was an illusion of truth, but Yugi was in love with the falsity.

"Yami." Yugi turned, grinning like a fool, but he couldn't help himself. The endearment his Yami used warmed him to the core, and it felt good to hear it so often.

"You needed to talk to me a bout something?" Yami asked, always on the ball, and in a way, breaking it.

Without much thought Yugi stepped closer, watching the cautious tracing Yami's eyes made, and wrapped his dark in his arms.

The gasp was near silent, and Yami's chest didn't fill with air, but it did jerk in shock, and Yugi held tighter, pressing himself as close to Yami as he physically could. Still it wasn't close enough.

"Yugi, what…?" Yami asked, and the fact that he'd used Yugi's name instead of the usual Aibou, spoke volumes to Yugi.

"I missed you… so much."

Yami stiffened, struck by Yugi's words, and that lump of pain he'd felt the moment he'd woken on the sand alone returned, and Yugi felt himself struggling to speak around it. "When I woke up in the desert and you weren't there… I couldn't feel you at all… I was so scared."

Yami twitched in his arms, as though hurt and Yugi pressed her face into the center of Yami's chest, breathing in the smell of his soul, and letting his mind continuously brush against Yami's for comfort. He knew he was falling back into that dependant mode he'd been in before, but at the moment he couldn't bring himself to care.

"I was certain that you'd come for me, but you never came." Yugi admitted to his deepest pain from the trip, and with their minds so closely pressed it was hard to imagine that Yami didn't notice Yugi's sad attachment to that memory.

The spirit's reaction was swift and predictable, and Yugi almost reveled in it. "Aibou, I did try. I wanted to come after you, but I couldn't. If I'd left—"

Yugi cut him off, not liking the guilty feelings that rolled off of his usually calm and determined dark. "I knew you did, but for some reason I didn't want to… so I looked for you, and then I found you."

The jerk Yami made at that part was well felt, and Yugi inwardly sighed, realizing just how much his darkness believed in the nonsense his friends had been spouting and he had the urge to smack Yami for his stupidity. _Then again, if my memories were as unreliable as his, I wouldn't believe them all either…_ Yugi thought to himself, and was glad that Yami hadn't over heard it.

"I met you, and then I blamed you." Yugi began, knowing from the emotions and flashes of memory he received from Yami's side of the link that his dark knew exactly what he was referring to with each statement. "I came to know you, befriended you, danced for you, trusted you… slept with you…" Yugi trailed off to a whisper at the end as Yami tensed, and he was certain that if he'd spoken any louder, it would have snapped the spirit in half.

"Aibou, I'm so sorry…" Yami apologized, his arms embracing Yugi close to him, and Yugi relaxed, his eyes closing at the words. Those were the ones that separated Atemu from Yami, the words that let Yugi know that he was home with his soul partner, his equal. "Aibou, I—I'm so sorry, I didn't… it wasn't… I'm not…"

Yami's inability to make a coherent sentence was frightening, and Yugi pulled back away from Yami's hold to grab his dark's face, lifting it up to look into those shattered crimson eyes.

It wasn't right, seeing such guilt, and pain, and fear in such a regal face, and Yugi almost cried for the defeat in his eyes. Now he understood why the group had crumbled. Yami had always been the driving force of strength amongst them, because he was a true leader, and when he fell apart, everything else tumbled down with him.

"… I felt guilty Yami."

Confusion fused into cerise eyes, and Yami blinked uncomprehendingly at Yugi a moment. "Guilty? But why? Aibou, It was my—" Again Yugi cut him short with a press of one finger to his lips.

The heat he felt there made him shiver and Yugi wanted nothing more than to feel those lips on his own kissing him. He'd known that mouth once he was almost dying to be reacquainted once more.

"Because it wasn't you." Yugi watched as the guilt was replaced by hope, and the uncertain mess slowly drew together as strength returned. "… it was you, but not you. It was a you who didn't know me, who hadn't suffered with me through so much, and had called me aibou, and it hurt me. Because…" Yugi paused, his heart in his throat. He was a little nervous, but he found it amazingly easy to look up and into Yami's eyes as he said what his heart had been dying to say since he first woke up in his soul room one month before. "I love you, Yami."

There was stillness for a long time, as a deep calm seemed to pass over Yami then. His eyes eased closed, and a soft, almost neutral smile graced his regal mouth.

If he could have breathed, Yugi was certain he would have done so through his nose. It was like he was letting it all sink into him, and he was relishing in it. Yugi smiled at the feelings he felt through their bond, as Yami allowed his doubts to fade.

He'd known the truth all along he was just afraid that he'd be wrong, and that too was something only his Yami who had been through so much more than his past self, would do even when given so much proof.

"I had hoped…" Yami began, but he seemed unable to finish, and Yugi giggled, bringing those passionate eyes back to him and he shook his head at his other affectionately.

"I know. Sorry, I didn't say something sooner, I wasn't under the impression that you were delusional." Yugi added, breaking the tension swiftly. It killed the mood he'd been looking for, but for some reason he wanted to have a moment of normalcy with his dark, and Yami seemed to need it as well.

Yami cocked an eyebrow at him, feigning hurt, "Well your repetitious English class can have that affect on someone."

Yugi laughed long and hard in agreement. His sides ached and he clutched them, his cheeks hurting from all the work he'd given them. "I guess your right, though I am amazed that you managed to turn in a paper for me and get a passing grade at that!"

Yami smirked, once more confident and strong and Yugi's chest practically swelled with joy. "I am the king of games after all."

Yugi rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right. When you can prove to me that homework is a game…" Yugi broke off to change his word choice, "…that English is a game, then I'll believe that one."

Yami just gave him a look, dressed in a similar outfit that mirrored Yugi's own. Yugi couldn't help but chuckle to himself when he noticed that his dark was indeed wearing identical starry pajamas.

_What is so funny, Aibou? _Yami asked, tilting his head to the side, and Yugi shook his head, sitting back down on his bed.

_I think I need to get you your own pajamas… _Yugi chuckled, looking Yami up and down.

Yami glanced down at his own body, holding his arms out to the side and tilting his hips from side to side to better see his clothes. Finally he looked back up. "What? Don't I look cute in them? You do."

Yugi grinned, choosing not to react to the cute comment. "Yami, cute and you… uh… that is…"

"Are you implying that I am not cute, Aibou?" Yami asked daringly, suddenly leaning down over Yugi's form, and Yugi laughed, flopping back onto his back looking up at his dark, hands raised in defense.

"No, I'm just saying that I like you better looking sexy… you know like in your leather…" Yugi trailed off with a dark blush. _Oh my god did I just say that? _

"Yes Aibou, you did." Yami purred looking pleased and amused as he climbed upon the bed, from what Yugi could tell ready to continue their little game, but his mood suddenly changed as he stilled propped above Yugi's body.

Yugi blinked up, slightly confused by the end of the good humor between them, and caught the warm, needy look in those red eyes he always searched for in a crowd for what felt like forever.

"Yami, what's wrong?"

"Yugi…" Yami started, his eyes scanning Yugi's face before locking onto his own, looking uncertain and a little fearful. "… may I take you?"

The question both broke and mended his heart all at once. Yami had asked him as though he doubted he'd be allowed, and yet he need to so desperately claim him as his own, and for a moment Yugi understood his need.

Yugi had been without for a month, but Yami had been craving his touch for three millennia.

The spirit took his long silence as uncertainty and started talking again, almost rambling in his nerves. "I know this is fast… but, I've been meaning to tell you for some time, I just never thought you'd ever turn to me. You were always looking at Anzu, and then I thought I'd lost you." Yami punctuated this statement by running his palm down the side of Yugi's face cupping it gently, his thumb stroking his cheek. "I know I'm asking a lot from you Aibou, and if its too quick for you, I can wait. I will wait…"

Yugi moved forward quickly, silencing Yami with his lips. The touch was like kissing a battery, and the tingle ran all the way down his spine. Yugi cooed, loving the missed sensation more than he ever could have known.

Yami slumped eagerly towards him, is lips pressing gently to his, keeping the kiss innocent and chaste, simply feeling the closeness this simple act created. Careful hands slipped around his narrow waist, as Yugi slipped his own around Yami's broad shoulders, encouraging a deeper embrace.

Yami released a contented groan, lying upon Yugi's body gratefully when Yugi lifted his legs to cradle Yami between them. He felt his face flush at his forwardness but no embarrassment was felt as Yugi let his fingers tangle into Yami's hair, tracing the soft skin their and upon his sensitive scalp.

Pulling back to breath Yugi caught Yami's eyes, unsure of when he'd closed them and whispered to his dark, his lips brushing Yami's with each breath. "Fast? Yami, we've known each other for two years in this time, and three thousand from last time. This is not fast." Yugi winked up at him, "Now, kiss me, and take me, or I'll be forced to show you why I'm also called the king of games."

A flicker of interest flashed through those eyes, and for a moment Yugi thought Yami might just take him up on his little game, but it was quickly smothered up with the soft loving look. Games could wait for later, this time was Yami's. More than anything else, Yami needed to feel in control so that his badly shaken confidence could be returned. Yugi understood that, and was more than happy to let his dark have control of this round.

They had all night for games.

"I might have to challenge you to a match sometime then, won't I?" Yami asked, his voice a low tease to Yugi's senses, and he shivered pleasantly as warm lips once more descended upon his own in a sweet kiss that left him aching inside for more. Not more contact, or more stimuli, just more of Yami. Of his voice, his mind, his scent, his thoughts, his touch, his taste, his existence. Yugi just craved more, and he knew that craving would never be satisfied, but that was fine by him, so long as he was able to keep his addiction close to him.

_I love you… _Yugi thought to his dark, his thought purer than they'd ever been before, and his toes curled in delight, that aching soothed slightly, at the truthful husky response he received from Yami.

_I love you, Aibou… both then, and now… _

For some reason Yugi felt relieved.

XXXXX

Yugi's lips were just as he'd remembered, and yet so much sweeter than simple memory supplied. It was in a sense their first kiss together, yet Yami knew that they had kissed many times before in his past. _No, this is our first kiss… I am not the same._ Yami thought, feeling the truth behind his words in the way Yugi responded to his touches.

Yami sighed, sinking further against the form of his light, reestablishing his claim over that blessed being, and reassuring himself of the need that Yugi had for him. The smaller male seemed to understand his need and let out a soft sound of desire as he pressed upwards and against him, gentle hands looping over Yami's shoulders to clutch at his back lovingly, fingertips trailing burning designs over his flesh.

The softness of the touches, and the slow grace that they moved with was like a silent plead to his senses. Protect me, was its call and Yami sank into the role it asked for thankfully, grunting with his own need to conquer Yugi, and be conquered in return.

_Yugi…_Yami called out, his lips moving against Yugi's urging him to deepen the touch of their mouths into the deeper loving motion of a kiss. Yugi's mind brushed his own as that warm mouth complied, lips synchronizing their movement to conform with the pressing of his own.

Yami grunted, the last of his tension easing from his body as he rose above his light, his hands moving to caress Yugi's body. He kept the touches light, feeling the contours of his lover's body through the soft fabric of his precious nightwear. He would not trespass through that barrier until Yugi had made it plain that he could.

He was no longer pharaoh, and would no longer expect Yugi to do as he pleased after the first initial okay. No, this time they were equals, he was Yami and Yugi was his light, his Aibou, his other, and he would earn the right to be inside of his light once more.

Yugi let out a gasp as Yami trailed his hands over his arms to curl their fingers together, intimately his thumb soothing over Yugi's knuckles in a gesture that showed his gratefulness that Yugi was allowing this to happen. As those lips parted, Yami took the chance to coax Yugi's lower lip between his own.

A pleasant shiver took over Yugi's form, and his breathing sped up just slightly, as Yami slipped his lips over his own, sucking Yugi's lip into his hot mouth to tease it with his tongue only to let it slip away as Yugi shifted at the sensations.

At the sudden release, Yugi whimpered, his hand pulling free from Yami's grip easily, as Yugi moved to keep that pleasurable contact, and his fingers tangled into Yami's hair. The scrap of Yugi's fingernails on his scalp once more sent a tingle rushing through his every nerve, and Yami relaxed, easily allowing Yugi to roll them till he was the one upon his back, with Yugi pinning him down, his desire pushing him to deepen the kiss.

Yami smirked, and hummed low in pride as Yugi's talented tongue darted out to invade his mouth. Yami slipped one leg between Yugi's testing his body, and the hard press of Yugi arousal made Yami tingle with desire.

He let his hands drag down Yugi's back, the sweat making them cling to the fabric as he slowly moved his thigh against Yugi's need. Yugi hissed and bit Yami's captured lip. The sting made Yami jerk and groan as Yugi's hands pulled from his hair to capture his wandering hands to urge them under the fabric of his shirt, cooing sweetly at the brush of skin on his quivering belly.

"…Yami…" Yugi breathed, his cheeks flushed, and words husky with his want and emotions. It scalded Yami's skin and he pushed to Yugi a little harder, slipping his hands deceptively softly against his damp skin, feeling the flutter of Yugi's heartbeat as it pulsed thickly in his stomach.

He let his finger skim the skin slowly, loving the tremors he brought to Yugi's body, and the Goosebumps that rose to his flesh. Yugi trembled, his hands slipping from Yami's wrists as his mind burned in the attention he was receiving. Yami found he loved the helpless look on Yugi's face and his inability to move.

It was an over whelming sense of power of control that almost frightened him. He'd failed to protect his light so many times before, and yet here Yugi was, placing his life back into Yami's hands not in the least bit worried that his dark might fail him again. It was humbling, and the warm flow of love intensified, encouraging Yami to moving his kisses from Yugi mouth to his cheeks, eyes, jaw, and up to his sensitive ear.

"mr wi ntk…" Yami breathed, the ancient language sounding ruddy in the air between them, and Yugi expressive amethyst eyes shot open, somehow more clear and bright than before.

Tears welled in those eyes for the words that Yugi had somehow needed far more than he'd even realized. Yami, pulled close kissing Yugi's eyes gently, whispering his love again and again into the soft downy skin, his hands paused over Yugi heart, somehow knowing that the steady beat was all for him, and it always had.

"… gods aibou," Yami whispered, capturing Yugi's sensitive lobe in his mouth and suckling the skin as Yugi lied flush against him, his own heated lips tattooing his affections into his skin in fleeting kisses that trailed over his collarbone and up into his throat.

Tiny hands trailed down his back from under his shirt, and slowed to stroke the dip in his spine. The touch was so tender, so pleasing that Yami arched up, rubbing his own erection into Yugi's soft lower belly.

They both moaned at the intimate contact, Yugi breath fanning over Yami's skin in a burning caress as he whimpered alluringly, and Yami pulled him closer, his hands tracing down his back, memorizing the smooth skin, unconsciously grateful for the smooth, unscarred flesh under his palms.

"Yami… take off my shirt." Yugi said breathlessly, his own fingers tugging the buttons free from Yami's top, and Yami shivered at the demand, his cerise eyes locking on Yugi's. The smaller duelist looked flustered and desperate to feel Yami's skin against his own, and Yami smirked, leaning up to kiss Yugi's slightly up-turned nose.

"Of course, aibou." Yami said, slowly removing his hands making sure that the slid over every inch of Yugi's torso, dipping his fingertip into Yugi's navel once before he began his slow work over Yugi's buttons.

Yugi grunted when he 'd finished Yami's shirt, and pressed in close, capturing Yami's dusky nipple in his lips, suckling like an infant. Yami groan, his hands clutching the fabric, no longer able to continue his task. That seemed to annoy Yugi as he whimpered, and pressed closer, his hands shoving the cloth off of Yami's shoulders only to have it tangle behind him as Yami's hands were busy.

Yugi's hands trapped the escaping heat of his skin, and rolled over the skin in lustful motions, and Yami arched and tensed under the ministrations, his skin growing damp with sweat, though he thought it might have just been from Yugi, he wasn't sure how real this solid body really was at all, but he didn't concentrate too much on it. There were much more important matters, such as Yugi's hot little mouth moving to his other nipple now that one was hard and erect.

His penis gave a twitch as Yugi attached his mouth to the other nipple, and those fingers slipped over his hips and sides, testing his skin, before slipping up his shoulders, down his arms, and finally curling home in his own hands.

A moment later they were coaxing Yami to continue to remove his top, and Yami chuckled, pleased with Yugi's single mindedness, but his humor seemed to bug his light, as Yugi bit the nipple in his mouth to gain his attention.

"Ow!" Yami exclamation brought a bout of guilt that was clearly felt through their link and Yami smiled to ease the feeling. He released the fabric of the shirt to press his palms to the planes of Yugi's chest and massage gently, feeling Yugi's nipples through the cloth and urging them to harden.

Yugi gasped, arching at the touch, and the motion sent a plash of recognition through Yami's mind, and he groaned, arching closer, his hands pressing a little more urgently. Yugi looked just as he had when he'd danced for him back in Khemet. Yami's body trembled in remembrance and Yugi rolled back against him with a sigh, his lips parting temptingly as he whined.

"Yami… s—stop teasing me, take… take off my… shirt…" Yugi was breathless in the end, and Yami growled low in his chest, feeling overpoweringly possessive of that voice and face and once more rolled them, claiming his position on top, shrugging his top from him quickly.

"How cruel of me, forgive me my light…" Yami soothed, kissing Yugi's cheeks, and lips in fleeting kisses as his hands eased the buttons from their place slowly, knowing Yugi wanted him to move faster.

_Yami, please… faster…_Yugi coaxed, and Yami smirked, kissing Yugi's forehead, one hand laying flush against the open skin he'd revealed, feeling that heart beat pound against his palm.

"Shh, Yugi, soon enough. I promise, I just want to see you dance for me…"

Yugi's eyes flew open and the color of his face darkened even as a grin passed over his face. Yugi really did love performing for him, and it gave Yami such delight to see his aibou so pleased.

_Then remove my shirt and I'll give you a show._ Yugi tempted, and Yami purred, moving his hand to kiss Yugi's skin, feeling that heart jump under his attention.

The skin was warm, and tasted vaguely of sweat. The heavy scent of musk and the rain and sea air filled his senses and drugged him pleasantly. Yami licked the skin his hands pushing Yugi's shirt apart so that his hands could curl around those slim hips and hold Yugi closer still. _Why don't you dance for me right hear aibou, beneath me… remind me why I wanted to throw you down and take you every time you danced for me before._

Yugi giggled breathlessly, and the spike of passion from Yugi's side of the link let him know that his words were well aimed. Yami smiled, moving his kisses to Yugi's throat, as he eased Yugi up slightly to remove his shirt and then slid close to feel the brush of skin on skin.

They both groaned, holding still momentarily, just enjoying the closeness, and then Yugi rolled his body coyly, his body arching and moving in controlled motions. Yami gasped silently, his eyes looking over Yugi's body as he pulled back watching Yugi's dance and felt the burn engulf his senses, and his hands slid down to hold Yugi's hips, loving the feel of them moving in his grasp and he groaned, eyes half-closing in passion. "Gods Yugi, I missed you… aibou…"

Yami breathed, his lips finding Yugi's for a drugging kiss, as he allowed his body to move down Yugi's winding one, laying kisses and nips, tasting his skin, and feeling the quivering muscles that twitch beneath the cover of his pale skin.

"… me too… me too…" Yugi's voice was tense with tears, but the lack of sadness or pain in the link reassured him that it was because he was glad to be back, and he placed a loving kiss onto Yugi's belly, right where his heartbeat shook the skin.

Yugi grunted, breaking the sensual rhythm of his dance to buck against Yami's kiss and Yami felt the hardened touch of Yugi's erection against his collarbone. "Excited little one?" Yami asked, his hand lowering to rub at the straining flesh and Yugi cried out, his head throwing back, his teeth clenching.

The sight was everything Yami had dreamed of and craved since his release from the puzzle and he couldn't stop himself from darting up and silencing Yugi's cries with his mouth as he eased his tongue into Yugi's mouth, tasting the remaining sweet taste from the jelly roll Yugi had eaten before his shower.

_I love you… _Yami thought, his hands lowering to pull Yugi's pants from his body, and the sliding cloth made Yugi's heart speed up as he clung to Yami, his own tongue joining the kiss.

_Yami… please… again…_ Yugi asked, his thoughts disjointed by the soft caresses and loving pull that eased his pants and boxers from his body. Yami couldn't keep the smirk from his face, as he eased the urgency of the kiss, pulling back till Yugi met his eyes.

"I love you, Yugi Mouto."

Yugi closed his eyes savoring the sound, as though they hadn't been saying the words endlessly to each other since they'd begun and breathed out his expected reply. "… aishiteru, ore no Pharaoh."

Yami smirked, placing a quick kiss to Yugi's lips. "Pharaoh? Of what Aibou? My kingdom is long gone, so what is it that I control now?"

"My heart." Yugi replied, giving him a cute look, "What else?"

Yami smiled and kissed him more firmly before moving back down Yugi's body, pausing to suckle and kiss his skin at the spots he knew was most sensitive before reaching his navel, loving it with his mouth slowly.

Yugi let out a squeal that scalded Yami's insides and almost made him lose himself right then and there. _If I'm the pharaoh of your heart… then that makes you the god that I worship._ Yami thought deliriously, his hands tracing up and down Yugi's shivering thighs that fell easily open at his touch.

"Yami!" Yugi called, and Yami couldn't hold back any longer. Pulling away from Yugi's stomach he pressed two quick kisses to the juncture of his thighs and hip before slipping Yugi's hard, weeping member into his mouth.

His hands grasped Yugi's hips to hold them still as his hip bucked up quickly, and his feet kicked the mattress in rebellion at the hold. "Ah! Hah, hng! Yami!" Yugi screamed, his voice squeaky with breathless need, and his temperature spiked bringing more sweat to his skin, enhancing Yugi's musk, and Yami reveled in it.

The taste was different, salty, yet slightly sweet from the snacks Yugi had a tendency to devour, and Yami devoted it to memory, and he rolled Yugi's manhood around in his mouth, making sure his tongue was coated with the flavor.

Yugi had taken to making a pleasurable squeak and moaning sound, his hands curled up to his mouth, as tears of passion eased from his eyes. Yami hummed knowing the vibration would feel nice against his over sensitized skin. As he thought, Yugi jerked and whined for more, and Yami felt himself swell with masculine pride.

Sucking Yugi's erection a little longer, Yami slid himself free from his own pants and boxers, and shivered at the feel of cool air that touched his hot member. With his hands no longer restraining Yugi's hips, Yugi was free to buck up and deeper into Yami's mouth when he groaned, and did just that.

Gagging in surprise, Yami pulled back raising over Yugi, swallowing as he looked at Yugi's needy face. His skin speckled in love marks, and flushed a healthy color, all for him, because of him.

Sliding over him, Yami kissed Yugi's parted lips, giving the small one a taste of himself as he ground their hips together, now free from the barrier of clothes.

The new sensations left them panting and moaning against one another, and as they rocked together, Yami realized that he would need to find something to use for lubrication if they intended to complete their lovemaking.

_Top drawer._ Yugi supplied casually, and Yami froze surprised that Yugi, his Yugi would have such a thing.

Sliding the drawer open, sure enough, he found a rather large tube of KY massage oil. He lifted a curious eyebrow, his insides burning at the label that mentioned that the oil warmed on contact. _Aibou…_

"Don't ask." Yugi interrupted, his cheeks flushed darkly, and Yami got the impression that there was a complicated story behind the tube in his hand, and he mentally made a note to ask later.

Chuckling, Yami uncapped the oil and placed some in his hands, slicking his fingers generously, before pausing, catching Yugi's eyes—internally groaning at the heat that penetrated his fingers and from the way Yugi spread his legs expectantly—and asked again, "May I take you, aibou?"

Yugi grinned, nodding his head, biting his lip cutely his eyes shinning with anticipation. "Yami?" He asked, as Yami bent to place his first finger at Yugi's entrance, and Yami stopped instantly.

"Yes, aibou?"

Yugi met his eyes, chewing on his lip in slight nervousness, and Yami felt the need to comfort his light well up, even as Yugi whispered, his voice tense with slight nervousness.

"Kiss me?"

Yami smiled, easily moving up and capturing Yugi lips in a gentle, soothing kiss that eased the last traces of Yugi's tension. _Anytime, Yugi. I belong to you… only you. _

Yugi sighed, his lips curling up in a silly smile, as Yami circled his fingertip at Yugi's entrance. Yugi grunted, clinging closer as Yami slowly eased the slick digit inside of his hot, tight, little body.

Yami hissed through the kiss, sharply reminding himself that this was only Yugi's second time, to avert his mind from how mind-blowingly good Yugi felt inside. The kiss turned intense as he focused on making his hands gentle, as he slowly pushed and pulled his finger deep inside, slowly stretching Yugi with every kiss, moan, caress, and thrust.

Soon Yugi was accepting both of his fingers with ease, the scissoring motion inside making Yugi arch and whine in pleasure. Yami kept it up a while longer, enjoying watching Yugi's face lost in feeling before a brush of Yugi's thigh against his own neglected erection, reminded him of what he needed.

Pulling his fingers from Yugi's body, Yami groaned as Yugi whimpered, and clung to him as though trying to make him come back. Kissing Yugi's cheek he eased away.

"Hush, aibou, it's all right, I'm right here. I just need to—" Yami broke off on a startled gasp as Yugi's hand pulled around his manhood, squeezing pleasantly.

"Let me, Yami?" Yugi asked, his eyes half-closed, looking up at him in a seductive way that made him shiver with deep sated desire. Yugi's thumb rolled over the head of his erection, and Yami groan, closing his eyes at the sensation and was lost as Yugi curled close, his hot breath fanning over his straining need.

Yami gasped, arching, and opened his mouth to stop Yugi and was cut off by his own shout of passion as Yugi pulled his tip into that hot mouth.

Yami's fingers curled into the bed sheets to keep from moving as Yugi slowly adjusted. Suckling the tip studiously, Yugi slowly and shallowly inched his way down, taking Yami into his mouth as far as he could, before releasing him and tilting his head to lick up the sides coating Yami's length with his saliva.

Unable to take any more, Yami grabbed Yugi's shoulders and gently pulled him up from his throbbing and aching burning need, pressing him back into the sheets.

Their eyes met as Yami slipped his legs between Yugi's, feeling the skin glide against skin making both shiver. Slowly Yami lifted Yugi's legs up, angling his hips so that he could enter him, and then stopped once more.

"Yugi, are you sure?" Yami asked one last time, though his tone implied that he really didn't want to ask, and Yugi smirked. One small hand lifted up to tangle in Yami's hair bringing his face back down to his own, kissing him lovingly.

_Yami, please, I need to feel you… please._

Yami didn't question again.

With a steady push, he entered Yugi's body, feeling that tight heat stretch to hold him and he trembled at the blissful feeling on his need. The sensations that poured into him from Yugi's side made him gasp, and strain to move slower at the light pain he felt, and he grabbed Yugi's hands in a crushing hold, needing that connection more tan anything else, and felt Yugi's fingers curl around his own as he slid all the way home.

XXXXX

Yugi bit his lip, throwing his head back at the slight sting and the overwhelming burn of completeness that consumed him. _Oh gods… yes, Yami…_ Yugi thought his every limb quaking with shocks of pleasure as inch by inch he was filled till finally Yami rested fully inside of him.

Yugi breathed deeply, holding Yami's hands as he waited for his body to adjust and felt the urge to move from Yami's side of the link, and the resistance that Yami placed on himself to remain still.

Touched at the concern Yugi, kissed the skin that was in reach, lifting his numb legs from their places on the mattress where they were dropped by Yami as he'd moved to hold his hands, and wrapped them around Yami's hips, rolling once to show that he was ready.

Yami grunted and his hips bucked once in return, slightly un prepared for the feelings after having gone without physical love for three thousand years. Yugi moaned as that motion struck his prostate and made his body tingle from the duel assault from his back end and his erection that was pressed between their sweaty bodies.

"… Yami… move…" Yugi gasped, and felt his dark quiver, his lips kissing his neck gratefully as he pulled out and thrust back in, only after the okay from Yugi.

_Fuck, Aibou… you're so tight… so hot… I love you…_ Yami's thought trailed off into muddied and slurred hieratic and Yugi shivered again at the lustful quality he brought out in his dark, and tightened his body, moving in the slow rhythm of dance.

The feeling of Yami so deep inside of him as he rolled and rocked made his gasp and whimper at every motion, and Yami was forced into a harder rhythm of the base beat to his dance.

Yugi cried out at the hard and deep thrusting that made sweat drip from Yami's bangs to dapple his body and face, as Yami lifted up above him, driving in almost harshly, but the tender grip of his hands, and the way he panted and pleaded with Yugi, showering words of praise and love softened the action and made it almost sweet.

The rocking and pushing was quickly pushing Yugi towards his end, and Yugi clung to the sweaty hands that had yet t release his own, and kissed Yami's arms and chest needily, as his pants became ragged and his belly knotted with tense release.

"Ah, Y—yami… God… Yami… please…" Yugi breathed, arching up and loosing his rhythm as his erection was again rubbed harshly between them, as Yami shoved back into Yugi's body, grinding deep in side.

"Pharaoh's… fine…" Yami quipped, jokingly, and Yugi smiled briefly before his mind was lost in the haze of loving lust once more.

"So good Aibou…" Yami breathed, collapsing over him, and capturing his lips in a sloppy kiss that melted Yugi's insides as it broke and reassembled quickly with his need to breath. "Tell me… say… you… love… me…" Yami breathed out between kisses, one of his hands releasing Yugi's to cup his cheek, stroking it loving before reaching between them to place a better, continuous friction to Yugi's need.

The scream was almost silent but still ripped at Yugi's throat at the sensations that nearly forced him to completion, and was left shaking, his legs barely able to stay up around Yami's hips. The sweat made his legs slip a little and he grappled to re situate his legs, and his prostate was hit again, throwing him into a numbed state that left his legs falling to rest on the bed, no longer able to stay up on their own.

_Aibou… please… tell me. _ Yami urged again, and Yugi cooed breathlessly, opening one eye to look into those cerise eyes he loved so much, and lifted his one shaky hand to hold Yami's face, feeling his eyes fill with tears as he managed a smile through the heated pleasure.

_I love you, Yami… gods how much I love you… _Yugi thought, his face crumpling in pleasured love as his lips were caught in a hard kiss, filled with raw emotions that crested and flowed between their linked minds, and in the torrent of it all, Yugi felt himself crest that edge, falling into the heat that was his Yami, as he spilled his essence over his Yami's hand and both their sweaty chests.

Yami grunted, his arms pulling Yugi close to his chest, and Yugi wished he could feel a heartbeat, as he too crested the edge and a deep warmth filled him.

Yami collapsed against him, heavy and exhausted, but rolled slowly, slipping free, and Yugi winced a bit from the residual sting and was promptly kissed, as Yami dragged him back into his arms, as their bodies cooled in the night air.

Laying there, Yugi traced invisible words into Yami's skin, where his heart should be, enjoying the closeness as they basked in their afterglow. The silence was comforting and Yugi stretched a little as his body thrummed with sated comfort.

"That was nice."

"Nice? Three thousand years of pent up frustration, and all you can say is nice?" Yami asked, sounding hurt, and Yugi chuckled at the bluff, kissing Yami's mouth, loving the fact that he could.

The uncomfortable chill of the room made Yugi pull closer to the warmth of Yami's solid form, and he smirked as Yami deepened the kiss, his arms pulling closer and tighter as desire arose again.

_You know what I mean Yami… you felt it… _ Yugi eased, only to smirk in satisfaction as he rolled them both so that he was atop of Yami, straddled naked on his belly.

Ending the kiss he sat up with a mischievous glint in his eyes, that Yami couldn't miss. The spirit let his arms rest by his head, in a submissive posture that had Yugi's toes curling.

"Like what you see, Aibou?" He asked smugly, and Yugi grinned.

"Yeah, but you know, three thousand years must have given you a few _fun _fantasies, huh?" Yugi hinted, enjoying the quick understanding and challenging light that filled his Yami's eyes.

"Go on." Yami encouraged, his hands lifting to hold Yugi's hips.

"Why don't you share some with me?" Yugi offered, and let out a yelp of surprise as he was tossed back onto his back with his dark looming over him with a deep smirk.

"How about I show you instead?" Yami asked already capturing Yugi's willing lips in another kiss sure to rekindle the heat that Yugi needed.

XXXXX

"Yami, would you mind so much if we tried Rebecca's plan?" Yugi asked in the soft glow of dawn, wrapped up in the arms of his dark, comfortably resting in Yami's top, while the spirit wore the matching bottoms.

Yami would have to return to his spirit form soon, and he wasn't yet ready to release him. Yami's reluctance only heightened Yugi's own, and kept him cradled in his arms, his longer fingers playing with the softer strands of Yugi's hair.

"… you mean ask Ptah for my own body?"

"Yeah."

"Why do you ask, aibou?" Yami questioned, sounding tired but satisfied, and Yugi snuggled closer, feeling as though he still needed to be closer to Yami, even after spending the night being as close as humanly—well more than humanly—possible.

"… I just…" Yugi began, but trailed off as his words deserted him, and felt a gentle kiss on the crown of his head.

"You wish to be together, like this, correct?"

Yugi nodded, wrapping his arms possessively around that trim waist and breathing in the lingering sent he had long ago categorized as Yami. "Without you having headaches afterwards. I want to have a life with you. A life… you can enjoy too."

"Aibou, you spoil me." Yami whispered, his hands trailing down his spine in a loving manner that left Yugi feeling complete inside.

The sun was starting to peer through the curtains and into the room, and Yugi wondered what time it was, desperately hoping he didn't have to open p the shop too soon.

"I am fine as I am now, and would love to have my own body Aibou. I am content either way, with whatever you decide." Yami whispered, still playing with his hair.

Yugi pulled away sitting up on his arms to look Yami in the eyes. "But, Yami, this is your life, your body we're talking about, so it's your choice, not mine." Yugi countered, ready to argue his point only to have Yami press his forehead against Yugi's, his nose tapping Yugi's.

"I made the choice to see the mummies Aibou, so this time, it is your call. I would feel much better if you made this choice."

Yugi pouted mock glaring up into cerise eyes that simply stared back giving away nothing. With a sigh he flopped back down onto Yami's chest, biting him lightly. "Damn you and your poker face…"

"Love you too Aibou." Yami chuckled, poking Yugi's side in retaliation. Squirming, Yugi bit Yami again and received another poke from his dark. Grinning Yugi sat up, grabbing his pillow and soundly hitting Yami in the head with it.

"… Yugi…" Yami threatened playfully already, taking the pillow from him. Yugi eeped, and tried to roll from the bed but was caught in his attempt and pulled back into his bed where his dark continued to tickle him breathless.

From the shadowed corner of the room, a pare of eyes watched, with a calm sort of relief as the pharaoh and his light playfully fought on the bed, for once completely at peace.

_It's finally over with, Atemu. I have made amends for the wrong I dealt you long before. Perhaps now I am worthy of your forgiveness. _The Black Magician closed his eyes and turned back into the shadows, leaving his masters to themselves, feeling just the slightest bit lighter than before.

_ "Thank you… Mahado…" Yugi seemed to fall asleep against him, and Mahado quickened his steps entering the forbidden tomb._

_ "Let go, Mahado! Yug's in there! He's inside there!" Atemu yelled, the cry bitter to his tongue as the grip refused to slacken, his struggling only bringing him more pain as the taller man lifted him from the ground. "I order you to let! ME! GO!" Atemu growled, striking back with his head, catching Mahado in the side of the head. _

_ Mahado bit out a curse, dropping him, and Atemu landing on his feet kicking off in a dead run._

_As Jonoh and Mahado came to stand by his side, most likely to urge him to return, Atemu grew deadly still, his tears running silent, as that deep numbness set it, almost making Atemu miss the pain, because the pain was all he had left of Yugi to cling to._

_ "pr-aA," it seemed they both knew Atemu didn't want them being informal with him. "It's getting dark…"_

_ "I hate you."_

"_Dark Magician. I was so scared!"_

A slow smile graced the features of the shadow monster as he sighed in relief, returning to the world he'd chose to become apart of.

"It's over."

The shrill beeping sound of the alarm broke up the wrestling match between the two on the bed. Both cerise and Amethyst eyes stared at the cloth that glared the hour of eight at them for a moment before twin grins spread over their faces.

"Good morning Yami"

"… Guess this means I don't have to drag you out of bed today."

Yugi raised an eyebrow in challenge, and Yami smirked, grabbing the pillow.

(Ending Theme: Night Flower)

_I'm wandering lost in the land of love;_

_please come find me._

_I hide my heart_

_that I thought I'd already wore the wings off of._

_The thousands of petals_

_which color my heart_

_make me yearn for you, almost sadly_

_Once more_

_Mirage that slips through my fingers_

_the moment I grasp it..._

_I want to steal away all of you._

_Brandishing a frozen knife,_

_love dances, scattering the night flowers_

_Break, injure, seal it away - even my heart..._

_Feel it more intensely_

_Soot covered fragments of love._

_On the streets as the night rolls in,_

_I'm surrounded by_

_the wings of a smiling angel._

_I want you so much,_

_I can't even breathe_

_Let it all go up in flames; it's all the same to me._

_Words are melted love._

_My lips scatter the night flowers._

_Love, comfort, let go - even my heart..._

_Feel it more intensely_

_If it's destiny, _

_then I don't need peace or warmth._

_Brandishing a frozen knife,_

_love dances, scattering the night flowers_

_Break, injure, seal it away - even my heart..._

_Love me more intensely_

**Translation:**

**wi mr ntk: I love You.**

**Aishiteru…Ore no Pharaoh: I love you, my pharaoh.**


	19. Epilogue

**Memories of Shadow and Light**

_**Epilogue**_

The sun was setting on the dunes, casting a darkened gold to the sand that sparkled with illusions and old magic. It made the long shadows Yugi had grown up with and remembered from a time that had long ago died out with the magic that barely hummed on the air: residual leftovers from the ritual that had just been completed in the crumbling ruins behind him.

The ring of friends hung back from him, chattering amongst themselves, and comforting the crying blond whose hard work had only brought her sadness. The Temple of Ptah was hardly what it had once been, and Yugi felt a bitter sadness as he gazed out across the empty sands, seeing an illusion of what had once been, and for a moment craved the bustling life that had once graced this dusty land.

The wind picked up, smelling old and musky with spice, and Yugi let his eyes close, feeling the fingers of that warm breeze glide up and under his cotton shirt and khaki shorts.

The granules of sand glided over his toes and slid beneath the warm Styrofoam of his flip-flops, and for a fleeting moment he was back there, standing in the world where magic was born, the sunlight singing on the golden dunes of the most powerful kingdom ever to grace the world at the time.

The voices of millions filled his ears, happy and living, under the rule of a single man who he loved over the millennia and was grateful to say that he was apart of him: a part of his soul.

_Aibou._ The brush of skin, gliding into his palm, warm, white gold fingers curling around his own hand, punctuated the thought. Yugi opened his eyes, the memory banished as he turned to stare into ruby eyes, angled and perfect, set in a regal face surrounded by soft golden bangs of the three-tones crown of hair.

Yugi smiled, squeezing that hand back, careful not to move too quickly and dislodge the blanket that was wrapped around Yami's naked form. Yami's new body seemed to match what Yugi knew his soul to be like, and the difference from what his original body had once been, made it easier for Yugi to justify taking Yami back with him to Japan.

Yami was no longer the prized son of he land of magic and time, and Yugi was both saddened and joyed for that fact. It was sad, that Yami had to see his world like this, but Yugi was selfishly glad that there was nothing left to tie him to the heated sands, and chiming winds that sang of a time long gone.

_The wind smells like you, Yami. _Yugi thought, smiling when he saw that his other had received it. It was a little saddening, Yugi felt, that their original link had been broken with the new life Ptah had given the once pharaoh Atemu, and though it was still possible for them to speak to each other through their minds, it took more effort than before, and Yugi had to concentrate more on the thought reaching Yami for it to work.

He missed the constant touch of Yami's mind against his own, and the flow of feelings that constantly mingled with his own. Somehow, even with Yami standing right beside him, hand in his own, Yugi missed him. Somehow it wasn't enough and he want to be closer.

As though knowing what Yugi felt, Yami opened his blanket and pulled Yugi flush against him, his arms closing them both in the warmth of the blanket and he nuzzled his face into the crook of Yugi's neck.

Yugi sighed and shivered. The contact still wasn't enough, but it would suffice. After all, the words he'd hard in his mind as Ptah answered both of their prayers had told him nothing but the truth. With Yami's gaining his own body, they needed to be separated more mentally in order for either of them to continue and exist together. _This isn't so bad… _Yugi thought leaning back and closer still to Yami, enjoying the feel of his beating heart against his back, and his breath as it ghosted over his skin as lips placed gentle kisses to his skin.

_You still smell like the sea to me, aibou… sea and rain._ Yugi smiled, closing his face as his hand rose to touch the empty space over his heart where the millennium puzzle once rested. It was in millions of pieces now, all power gone, shattered before the alter of Ptah as sacrifice for the miracle they had so desperately sought, and though he missed its gentle weight, Yugi was fine with its loss.

_Aibou, I still feel empty._ Yami admitted, his arms pulling tighter as though he could absorb Yugi straight into his soul through his flesh, and Yugi twisted in those arms, looping his own arms around Yami's trim waist, fingertips tracing up and down his spine, enjoying the shudder and groan this granted him.

_I'll fix it when we get back to the hotel room._ Yugi promised, knowing that Kaiba wouldn't want to leave until the morning if his light banter with Jonouchi was anything to go by.

He really wondered what he'd missed while he'd been gone, but seeing as not even Yami was certain when their relationship had changed, Yugi let it go.

_You going to show me why you're called the king of games?_ Yami asked coyly, and Yugi beamed tracing his hands up Yami's sides teasingly.

_How else would I fix your problem?_

Yami chuckled, dropping his head back down to Yugi's shoulder. "You promise?"

Yugi beamed, kissing Yami's collarbone. "Promise."

Yugi didn't need the millennium puzzle anymore. He'd gotten his wish, and more than he'd ever hoped for: Friends, adventure, independence, and love.

Yami looked down at Yugi, finally flesh and blood once more, and smirked, his look making Yugi's knees weak, and he couldn't resist leaning forward to claim those tempting lips with his own, his breath ghosting across them in claim.

"BiAw."

The smirk spread into a grin as Yami relaxed into Yugi's kiss, allowing him to control it, and Yugi lifted his arms around Yami's neck, ignoring the screamed protest of Rebecca as Anzu tried to calm the child.

He didn't miss the puzzle, because he got to keep the spirit with in, and that was all he'd ever really wanted. The rest, was just memories in the sand, covered in shadow and light.

(Ending Theme: "Anyplace, Anywhere, Anytime" – Nena and Kim Wilde)

In the fall of space and time,  
Moths fly into the light, exactly as you and I  
Wrap your finger 'round my neck.  
You don't speak my dialect,  
But our images reflect!  
Drawn together by the flame  
We are just the same—  
Embrace the wind and fall into another time and space!

Give me your hand— I build for you a conclusion from the sand  
Somehow, somewhere, sometime  
If we belong to each other

_We belong any place, any where, any time_

In time and space, he awakes from a dream  
Only for a short instant, then returns to the night.  
Bit and of pieces from your storm  
Rain upon me as they fall  
Melt into my skin and I feel warm!  
Sweep upon me like a wave,  
We are young and brave—  
Embrace the wind and fall into another time and space!

Give me your hand— I build for you a conclusion from the sand  
Somehow, somewhere, sometime  
If we belong to each other

_We belong any place, any where, any time_

Drawn together by the flame

_We are just the same—_

_Embrace the wind and fall into another time and space…!_

If we belong to each other

_We belong any place, any where, any time  
I'm going to any world you're coming from  
Anyplace, anywhere, anytime!_

_Give me your hand— I build for you a conclusion from the sand  
Somehow, somewhere, sometime  
I'm going to any world you're coming from  
Anyplace, anywhere, anytime!_

~Owari~


	20. Extra 1

A.N. So I found I couldn't leave this alone after all when I finished the story, and because this is such a mildly rated piece it found its way in here along with Sky Water. Hope you like it.

Remembered Sand

The sun was setting on the dunes, casting a darkened gold to the sand that sparkled with illusions and old magic. The air shimmered in rebellion as Ra was eaten by the giant beetle and darkness swept in for the night while Ra awaited to be reborn. Much the same as she waited for her friend.

Anuksu sighed into the warm air that was quickly cooling. It had been years since her friend had sacrificed himself to destroy Exodia, and still she held onto the hope that he might one day come walking up to her in the market, dressed in his funny clothes laughing and asking her why it was that people kept insisting that he wear a 'skirt.'

A waterlogged laugh escaped her as she remembered the small boy's quirks, and the soft bundle in her arms gurgled, twisting at the sound. Looking down at the tiny infant in her arms, she watched as the boy reached up with pudgy fingers towards her face, his large brown eyes glittering with new thoughts and innocence.

She smiled, tucking the cotton more securely around his skin as she brushed his forehead with her lips, moving the soft brown curls with her breath. "You're just like him, you know?" She whispered, entrancing the baby's attention with her voice, and she pretended for a moment that the child understood what she was saying.

"He came from far away, in clothes that were quite absurd. He had funny customs, like removing his shoes outside the house, not wearing 'skirts,' taking breaks, and he spoke in a funny language." She scrunched up her face at this part, which made the baby grin toothlessly up at her, a giggle escaping its small body.

"He also wanted to learn how to dance, and though he was tiny, smaller than a child, he was quite good, very alive." She paused, her eyes growing distant with nostalgia. "… he was so innocent, so pure it was hard to believe he'd lived as long as he claimed, and no matter what anyone did, he tried to be kind to them, and believed that they could change, even when that person had given up on themselves…"

Anuksu smiled sadly, bounding the child a little in her arms as the last of the sunlight glimmered out and the full chill of evening set in, making the baby fuss slightly.

"Maybe that's why the pr-aA loved him." She looked around to make sure no one would hear before she continued, for the name she was to speak had been erased and any who spoke of it would be put to death by the gods, but as Yugi had pointed out to her, that was only a superstition.

"pr-aA Atemu, it is said fell in love with this weird boy from far away, and had him dance for him every night, until a mighty evil arose to destroy all life in Khemet." Anuksu's voice grew distant, and the baby jumped slightly in her arms.

"To save the world, and his lover, the boy from far away chose death, and sealed the evil away with his sacrifice, and Atemu followed soon after in hopes of finding his little dancer, and left Khemet in the hands of pr-aA Seth."

The wind whistled in the distance, and Anuksu glanced up, reminded of the unearthly darkness that had covered the land as the shadows had wrecked havoc on the land, but the calm sparkling sky twinkled back at her harmlessly and she relaxed.

"… Yugi…" She whispered, her eyes drawn to the silver stars. She'd lost count of how many times she'd dreamed of the small boy, smiling and waving to her from down the palace hallway; his silver and blue dancing garb all askew as he hurried toward her, again almost late for a performance, laughing about misplacing his clothes. "… did you make it home, is that where you went?" She asked the sky, trying to picture his world with him back in it, smiling happily, once more where he belonged.

Tears stung the back of her eyes, and burned down her cheeks, blurring the image of the stars and destroying the image she'd erected. "Are you happy there with out your pharaoh? Or is he there with you now?"

There was no answer, as always, and yet, as the harsh desert wind whipped up, she somehow felt calmed, and as the cool breeze dulled she pulled her child close to her heart, not even aware of the soft smell of the sea that was already fading from the area.

The baby fussed a bit, and Anuksu bounced the child gently, making a soft hushing sound as she returned to the fire lighted house where her husband waited. "Shh, Heba, there is nothing to fear in the dark… not anymore."

With a final glance back, Anuksu whispered to the stars as she did every night. "Good night, Yugi."

And entered her house.

_ "…Heba? As in, Game?"_

_ "Yeah."_

_ Anuksu gave the boy an odd glance not sure how to respond to his previous expliation on what his name meant. "So… you're parents named you… game."_

_ "Yes." Yugi seemed to be getting annoyed at her continued shock. Anuksu sighed and shook her head looking away. "What?"_

_ "Nothing."_

_ Yugi gave her a look that clearly said he didn't believe her and she sighed, dropping her hands to her sides. _

_ "Just, what kind of parent would name their child… game?"_

_ Yugi gave her an insulted look. "Well excuse me for having weird parents!"_

_ Anuksu laughed, rubbing Yugi's head playfully. "It's okay, at least they didn't name you dung."_

_ "Oh, gee, thanks Anuksu!"_

_ "Your welcome… Heba." She couldn't stop chuckling, not even after Yugi groaned and left the room, platter full of food for the pharaoh._

_ "Heba… what nonsense." _

Anuksu tucked the small child into his bed of sheets, gently curling his hair behind his ear and smiling in ironic joy. "Guess I'm the kind of parent to name their child 'Game,' but if he ever complains, I blame it on you Yugi." She whispered to the night, kissing Heba on the forehead before turning to her own bed, when her husband waited patiently, an understanding smile on his face.

Snuggling into his strong arms, her hands curled around his chest as she gazed up into his deep eyes and brown hair she whispered for his ears alone, "I miss him, Honda."

Smiling back he held her closer, not even needing to ask who she spoke of, he already knew the story. "You'll meet him again."

As she closed her eyes drifting off into sleep, she believed the words of her husband and dreamed as she did most nights of that future.

_ A timid boy looks up from the dirt were his broken toy lay in jagged pieces. Large crystalline tears pool down his cheeks from his amethyst eyes, laying tracks in his dirt smudged cheeks. _

_ The little girl shifts a little, unsure why it is that she feels so mad at the older boys for picking on this little one, but picks up one broken piece anyway, and holds it out to the crying boy, determined to stop his tears._

_ "Here."_

_ He looks up startled, and the water stops falling as he meets her bright blue eyes, sniffling a little before looking down at her gift, and taking it from her hand slowly. "T—thank you." He rubs his nose on his arm to rid it of his snot and she cringes a little._

_ "What's your name?" She asks, helping the boy to stand and carry his broken toy away from the sand box. Maybe the teacher could glue it back together._

_ The boy looks at her startled, as though he'd never been asked that before, and her heart suddenly reached out to protect him. To befriend him, and never let him cry again._

_ "Yugi." _

_ The little girl wrinkles her nose at the name. "Yugi? As in… Game?"_

_ The boy pouted, as though he'd been through this before and teased quite a bit for it. "Yeah, so what?"_

_ "Just wondering." She said, not wanting to cause him more grief, seemed he had enough of it already. "I'm Anzu, want to be friends?"_

_ Yugi looked up at her, hope shining in his eyes, and then his face broke into the brightest smile she'd ever seen as he replied._

_ "Yeah!"_

_Anzu smiled, and lead the way to the teacher to fix his toy._

(Ending Theme: "Leave Out All the Rest" – Linkin Park)

_I dreamed I was missing  
You were so scared  
But no one would listen  
Cause no one else cared_

After my dreaming  
I woke with this fear  
What am I leaving  
When I'm done here

So if you're asking me  
I want you to know

When my time comes  
Forget the wrong that I've done  
Help me leave behind some  
Reasons to be missed

And don't resent me  
And when you're feeling empty  
Keep me in your memory

Leave out all the rest  
Leave out all the rest

Don't be afraid  
I've taking my beating  
I've shared what I've been

I'm strong on the surface  
Not all the way through  
I've never been perfect  
But neither have you

So if you're asking me  
I want you to know

When my time comes  
Forget the wrong that ive done  
Help me leave behind some  
Reasons to be missed

Don't resent me  
And when you're feeling empty  
Keep me in your memory

Leave out all the rest  
Leave out all the rest

Forgetting  
All the hurt inside  
You've learned to hide so well

Pretending  
Someone else can come and save me from myself  
I can't be who you are

When my time comes  
Forget the wrong that I've done  
Help me leave behind some  
Reasons to be missed

Don't resent me  
And when you're feeling empty  
Keep me in your memory

Leave out all the rest  
Leave out all the rest

Forgetting  
All the hurt inside  
You've learned to hide so well

Pretending  
Someone else can come and save me from myself  
I can't be who you are  
I can't be who you are

A.N. Okay, kinda rushed and stupid I know, but I had to write it up for Anuksu. She really appreciated Yugi and I just kinda wrote her out. *Sigh* Oh well, hope you liked it and please review, I'd like to know what you think of this little piece as a story in itself.


	21. Extra 2

A.N. Okay, so I lied, here is another bonus chapter because I realized that I wanted to know what happened, so a little humor for your day. X-X

Lube

It sat there, staring at him mockingly from the lighted shelf that glared from the dull glow of the florescence of the store even though the bright sun of the fall afternoon poured in from the glass doors to paint the floor and walls with a bright sort of cheeriness that was somehow belittled by the stores choice of lighting.

Yugi felt his heart rate triple as he glared at the simple container with the shiny label, and resealable cap. The commercials had made the product look plausible, and since his mother would notice if her baby oil went missing, he knew there was no other choice.

Sure he could buy the cheap stuff, or even lotion, but he'd heard that the scented lotion could cause rashes or a burning sensation if one happened to be allergic to it, and the other stuff came in rather small containers, and from what he knew, felt a little, well slimy.

_I was spoiled…_ Yugi thought to himself, his cheeks twin beacons of horrified embarrassed shame. He could feel his nervous sweat beading on his forehead and underarms. It slicked his palms and made the backs of his knees feel clammy.

Yugi took a deep breath to steady himself, and lifted his hand toward the product. His fingers twitched and shook as his heart thundered loudly in his ears. A lump formed in his chest and his fingers froze inches from the bottle.

How much did it cost again? Did he have enough money for it?

$4.95.

He had enough.

_I can do this, I _will _do this, I have to do this…_ Yugi told himself, reaching out bravely for the bottle that still glared deceptively innocent at his trembling fingertips. _If I don't do it now, I'll be doomed to never have sex again… _Yugi's blush deepened with that thought, and he was terribly glad that Yami had chosen to block him all afternoon for one reason or another.

He had been upset at first, but as the day progressed and Yugi decided that if he ever wanted the hope of being intimate with his other again, he'd need to buy the proper items, he became grateful that Yami was not around for this embarrassing moment of his life.

With a more confident attitude, Yugi shot his hand out to grab the bottle, knowing that he'd already spent a good twenty minutes staring at it, if the people working there didn't already think him a pervert they would now.

The tip of his finger grazed the plastic top, and his heart lurched with excited nerves as he brought it back around the bottle, feeling the cool, smooth surface, and felt his heart triple its pace. Like in a nightmare time seemed to slow, his arm feeling like dead weight as he moved to pull his arm back—

"Yugi! You're all right, I heard from Rebecca that you had returned but I wasn't sure!"

Yugi turned his head to the sound of a voice that he recognized, and smiled seeing Ryo running towards him. He was dressed in a casual jean and sweatshirt ensemble and the gray made his hair seem to glow under the lights.

"Ryo, hi." Yugi grinned turning to face his friend, completely forgetting his mission, and the bottle still clasped in his hand. " When did you get back from England? You stayed a lot longer than a week." Yugi exclaimed, glad to see his friend back and in one piece.

Ryo grinned, rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah, well, my dad felt that he'd been ignoring me for too long and asked me to stay the month, then a new job left me stranded for another month before we finally managed to catch a flight home." Ryo explained, and Yugi nodded, already knowing what Ryo mean when he said 'we.' It came with the territory of being a 'light.' One was never really considered alone.

"Oh, that's good to know. I was worried that maybe Bakura had done something again." Yugi said with a grin, and quickly learned some things were better left unsaid when one wasn't certain of the circumstances around what they said. Circumstances being, Bakura's current mood.

"You implying something, runt?" The lower growl made Yugi jump, and he let out a scared yelp his fear instantly alerting Yami even through the barrier, and just like that he found himself in his soul room, blinking around the almost tie-dyed walls.

Yugi blinked, listening to the yelling match that was taking place between Yami and Bakura, and he felt his nerves spark. _Shit, please, don't have a shadow game here! Please, please, please!_ Yugi thought desperately, opening the link so that he could see and hear what his dark did.

"—ay about me and my light?" Bakura yelled, obviously annoyed, and Yami shrugged as though nothing of importance was being discussed.

"You heard me loud and clear tomb robber, I don't fell the need to repeat it."

"Arrogant son of a jackal, you think you're so fucking superior don't you?" Bakura's accusation was again ignored as Yami stood with his arms crossed over his chest, striking a regal pose in Yugi's cut-off shorts and hoodie sweat-shirt. The flip-flops must have made Yami look a little less intimidating, Yugi was sure, but what killed the image was the bottle held tightly in Yami's hand.

_ Oh, dear god!_ Yugi screamed mentally, and felt Yami twitch at the sound.

_Aibou, what is it?_ He asked, as though expecting a shadow attack, and Yugi realized with mixed horror and relief that the once pharaoh had yet to realize what he was holding in his hand.

_… n—nothing, I just… well, forgot something._ Yugi smacked himself in the forehead realizing just moments later how dumb that excuse was, and how horrible of a liar he was. It was reflected in the disbelief Yami sent his way.

_Oh, if that's all… _ Yami let it go easily enough, too easily Yugi would notice later, but was a little distracted as Bakura challenged Yami to war.

"You think your so much better, _pharaoh _but at least I have never lost my light to myself, nor have I trespassed into his soul."

The roaring guilt and shock threw Yugi back into his soul room and he lay there paralyzed for several long moments unaware of the outside world. He knew that the two must be fighting but he couldn't find the strength to move. Yami's pain was overwhelming and left Yugi dazed.

Anger and insults flew through Yugi's body, and he felt the shadows built, easing out from Yami's soul room to attach themselves to Yami's soul. A shadow game was quickly coming.

Forcing his body to work, Yugi climbed his way back into consciousness just as Yami as preparing to announce a shadow game.

"Tomb robber, you'll regret crossing me. The shadow realm shall—" Yami had thrown his arm out to point at Bakura, and just happened to use the hand holding the tube Yugi had been about to buy.

Yami froze, startled enough that he forgot what he was doing and pulled his arm back to read the label. Yugi nearly died. Yami couldn't see that! He would rather his dark hold an all out war in the super market than read the label on the bottle.

_YAMI!_ Yugi screeched with enough force to jerk Yami out of control, and he sent his dark immediately to his soul room, locking the darker spirit inside with only seconds to spare.

_That was too close… _Yugi thought breathing hard as he stood, his hand curled around the bottle, the label just out of his vision, but not out of Bakura's.

"KY Massage oil?" The thief blinked in incomprehension for a moment before a wicked smirk curved his lips. "… oh, so that's what has the pharaoh's panties in a twist."

Yugi felt his face flame, and he let out an embarrassed squeak, the oil dropping from his numbed fingers as he turned and bolted from the market as fast as his legs would take him.

_Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit… _Yugi chanted in his mind, his eyes closed as he pushed his body to move faster, harder, and farther away than he'd ever run before.

It wasn't far enough he supposed, as a stitch in his side—one he hadn't noticed until he tripped and forced him to breath for the first time in a block and a half—forced him to stomp at the street corner.

Gasping for breath, his chest feeling like it could implode at any second, and his head buzzing from Yami's curious and worried nagging, Yugi slumped to his knees. _Oh…. Damn it, I'll never be able to look Ryo in the face again…_ Yugi realized with a sad sigh, giving up his mental blockade in his depression, and allowing Yami to exert his protective, mothering tendencies.

_Aibou! _Yami's cry was accompanied by a large pressure in his mind, as Yami mentally checked his light for harm. Yugi sighed, relaxing into the feeling of his other's soul bathing him, and felt his eye burn with unshed tears. _Yugi, what is wrong? _

Even as Yami asked Yugi felt himself being drawn back and in to the comfort of his soul room, Yami taking control of the body sending wave after wave of comfort to him. He didn't mind really, as he let Yami take them both home, all he wanted was the comfort of his dark's soul, and so he moved into Yami's soul room and curled himself up into a ball against the door, and slipped in to a light doze.

At one point he was aware of his dark joining him in his soul room, but it was fleeting, and his dreams dragged him back down before he could truly wake.

XXXXX

Yugi sighed sitting at his desk in a slight haze. _Yesterday was a disaster… _Yugi decided in a depressed state now that he had failed in his mission. _Not only did I fail… I screwed up and now Yami barely talks to me at all. _

Yugi groaned and sank further into his seat, burying his head in his arms, which would explain why he didn't notice the person approaching his desk from across the room until a heavy hand shook his desktop.

"Here." A sharp bossy voice made Yugi look up at the person above him is shocked fear.

_Bakura? _Yugi thought, his cheeks already pinking in remembrance. The tomb robber groaned, rolling his eyes and turned from him in annoyance.

"Look, my light won't stop whining until I make it up to you, so take it, and stop moping!" Bakura snapped already walking away from him.

Yugi blinked, not sure he really understood what it was that had happened, and glanced down at the object Bakura had left on his desk.

Yugi let out a squeak of embarrassment, his eyes goggling and his entire body freezing in shock as the KY Massage oil stared back at him mockingly.

Jonouchi took that moment to appear.

Yugi decided that after things had settled, he'd make Yami get the lube.

**A.N. Weird and a little pointless but it made me smile and I hope it makes you grin foolishly as well. X-X**


End file.
